ASX 200 closes up 79 points to 6878 (1.1%). Strength straight out of the blocks on US moves to the upside. Banks as always leading the charge with CBA up 1.5% and WBC doing well too, up 1.6%. The Big Bank Basket up to $176.09 (+1.5%). MQG results this morning, an initial sell-off but closing better by 1.8%. Not convincing but some shorts happy to cover. Insurers eased led by QBE off 0.8% as 10-year yields fell to 4.74%. REITS in favour with the yield news, GMG up 1.7% and CLW rallying 3.8%. Healthcare too rallying from oversold levels. CSL up 2.5% and SHL up 1.1%. RMD lagged but had been going well in previous days. Industrials firmed, TCL bounced 2.5% on rate hopes, WES up 1.7% and QAN up 2.0% despite a tricky AGM to say the least. Tech better with the All-Tech Index up 1.5%, XRO continued 1.4% higher. Retailers were slightly better, JBH the stand out up 1.6%. In resources, BHP rose only % with RIO the best of the iron ore stocks up 0.7%. Gold miners fell, NEM up 1.2% but most down. Lithium stocks catching a bid but not convincing, although AZS roaring ahead by 4.1%. LTR up 4.4% too. Oil and gas steady and coal stocks eased. In corporate news, the ORG saga continues, down 1.1%. MQG saw a profit slide, TWE returned after the cap raise for Daou and fell 7.8%. SQ2 rallied hard on an update, QAN gets a roasting but survived. RPL bought PGF and in economic news, household spending increased 4.9% through the year. In Asia, Japan closed for a holiday, HK up 2.1% and China up 0.9%.

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