ASX 200 Live Today - Wednesday, 1st April
Today’s ASX 200 Updates
Welcome to our live ASX coverage for Wednesday, April 1. Expect a high volume of posts pre-market and more periodic updates throughout the day. We'll be wrapping the blog up a little earlier than usual, at ~12:00 pm AEST. Let us know how we can make it even better.
Asian markets also up
[12:02 pm] Like the ASX, major Asian stock markets have responded positively to the news that the US-Iran conflict may end within weeks.
Japan's Nikkei 225 is up 3.5% in early trading today, while South Korea's KOSPI index is up more than 5%.
And that's where we'll leave you today. Make sure to come back tomorrow morning for the latest market news.
ASX holds gains, gold companies surge
[11:55 am] The ASX's relief rally has maintained momentum, with the index now up 1.7% today, and 149 of ASX 200 constituents also in the green.
It's been an especially good day for resources stocks, with the sector up 4.66% overall, and the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold (XGD) index, which tracks gold companies, up 6.30%.
PEXA down 17%
[11:40 am] Digital property settlements company PEXA has dived 17% today after it announced it would not be proceeding with its interoperability program following a statement from ARNECC confirming its pause.
House prices fall in Sydney, Melbourne
[11:20 am] According to new data from Cotality, house price growth has cooled across the country over the last quarter, with the two biggest markets - Sydney and Melbourne - seeing slight drops.
In Sydney, the median home price fell $4,000 to $1.295m, but houses priced in the bottom quarter saw a 2.5% uptick.
In Melbourne, the median home price dropped $5,000 to $828,249.
It was a different story across the rest of the country, where property prices climbed across all major capitals. Perth led the charge with a 7.3% rise in prices over the quarter.
Koala falters after strong open
[11:07 am] The ASX's newest entrant, mattress and furniture maker Koala Company, has settled around $3.88 a share after briefly jumping above $4 a share on market open this morning.
Yesterday's successful IPO saw shares surge 12% from a float price of $3.40 to close at $3.80.
It was especially good news for a certain Australian sportsman. Cricketer Steve Smith spent $100,000 for a 10% stake in Koala in 2015. At current prices, that stake is now worth over $13 million.
Gold bounces, silver surges
[10:55 am] Precious metals have also rebounded on the potentially promising news out of the Middle East, with gold up 3.74% to US$4,684 and silver up 7.17% to jump back above US$75.
Silver had dropped as low as US$61 per ounce following its historic run to US$110 in February.
Federal government signs agreement with Anthropic
[10:44 am] AI giant Anthropic has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Australian government, pledging to support the government's new AI framework and invest in renewable energy to power the country's data centre rollout.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Industry Minister Tim Ayres in Canberra this morning. As part of the agreement, Anthropic will also invest $3m in medical research at Australian universities.
Lindian Resources raises $100m
[10:38 am] Critical minerals company Lindian has announced that it has successfully completed a single trance institutional placement, raising $100m at $0.75 per share.
LIN shares sold off almost 14% yesterday, from $0.88 a share, after trading was halted ahead of the institutional placement. The capital will be used to help fund Stage 1 completion at its Kangankunde Rare Earths Project, as well as MREC production and Stage 2 expansion.
Top ASX 200 gainers and losers
[10:25 am] Here are the ASX stocks making big moves today. Mining and resources companies are leading the charge.
Ticker | Company | % Chg | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
CSC | Capstone Copper Corp | 9.93% | $11.35 |
GMD | Genesis Minerals | 8.15% | $6.37 |
GGP | Greatland Resources | 7.94% | $12.24 |
EVN | Evolution Mining | 7.84% | $13.61 |
OBM | Ora Banda Mining | 7.73% | $1.26 |
PDN | Paladin Energy | 7.06% | $11.83 |
360 | Life360 | 7.03% | $20.09 |
NST | Northern Star Resources | 6.78% | $21.74 |
JHX | James Hardie Industries | 6.63% | $27.83 |
DYL | Deep Yellow | 6.59% | $1.86 |
Ticker | Company | % Chg | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
PXA | Pexa Group | -15.19% | $12.90 |
DTR | Dateline Resources | -5.49% | $0.43 |
CEN | Contact Energy | -3.73% | $7.48 |
A2M | A2 Milk Company | -3.03% | $9.28 |
MCY | Mercury NZ | -2.79% | $5.23 |
YAL | Yancoal Australia | -2.77% | $8.06 |
APA | Apa Group | -1.96% | $9.76 |
WHC | Whitehaven Coal | -1.95% | $9.07 |
VEA | Viva Energy Group | -1.95% | $2.52 |
SMR | Stanmore Resources | -1.82% | $2.69 |
ASX bouncing hard
[10:16 am] As expected, the ASX 200 has surged this morning amid news overnight that the US-Iran conflict could reach a resolution.
The index is up 140.5 points (1.66%) with 8 of the 11 sectors in the green. Materials and Information Technology are bouncing the hardest, up 4.39% and 3.39% respectivelly.
Eagers Automotive acquires dealerships and provides CanadaOne update
[10:00 am] Eagers has announced the acquisition of a 49% stake in a Gold Coast and Sydney dealership portfolio and two Audi dealerships in Victoria, while flagging its Canadian venture is on track for Q2 2026 completion.
The GMG Investment acquisition covers Grand Motors Toyota (Gold Coast), Ryde Automotive Group (Metro Sydney) and Northshore BMW (Metro Sydney), with the portfolio generating ~$490m in revenue for the 12 months to Dec-2025.
The two Victorian Audi dealerships (Audi Centre Melbourne and Audi Richmond) generated ~$140m in combined revenue for the same period.
Financial terms for both acquisitions were not disclosed.
CanadaOne Auto remains on track for completion in Q2 2026, with Eagers noting significant progress in satisfying remaining pre-completion requirements with Canadian OEM partners.
Company page: Eagers Automotive (APE)
By Stephanie Gardner
Perenti appoints new MD & CEO
[9:51 am] Perenti (ASX: PRN) has named Dr Vanessa Torres as its incoming Managing Director and CEO, succeeding Mark Norwell from 1 June 2026.
Torres joins from South32 where she was most recently COO, with over 25 years of global mining experience across BHP, Vale and South32 spanning strategy, operations, M&A and project delivery.
Norwell delivered more than four-fold revenue growth during his tenure since 2018, setting a high bar for his successor.
Torres's total fixed remuneration is $1.25m per annum, with STI opportunity of up to 120% of TFR and LTI of up to 120% of TFR, and a minimum shareholding requirement of 100% of TFR.
Torres commences 13 April 2026, with Norwell remaining through June and into FY27 to support the transition.
Company page: Perenti (PRN)
By Stephanie Gardner
Trump signals US exit from Iran war within weeks
[9:41 am] Trump says the US could end military operations in Iran within two to three weeks, declaring its core objective of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons has been achieved.
Brent crude has surged around 60% since the war began in late February, with US gasoline topping $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022.
The Strait of Hormuz, carrying roughly 20% of seaborne oil supplies, remains largely closed, with Trump pushing other nations to take responsibility for reopening it rather than the US.
Tehran has demanded sovereignty over the Strait as part of any deal, meaning an early US exit without resolution leaves a key source of energy supply volatility unaddressed.
By Stephanie Gardner
Larvotto Resources hits high-grade at Metz
[9:25 am]
Larvotto Resources (LRV) has reported strong drilling results from the Metz Mining Centre, including a standout intercept of 1.4m at 21.8g/t AuEq and a broader 31.5m at 4.35g/t AuEq, reinforcing the continuity of mineralisation.
High-grade tungsten was also intersected, with assays up to 9.09% WO3.
The results highlight the multi-commodity nature of the system and support the company’s plans for a resource and reserve upgrade, with further drilling underway to expand mineralisation along the Blacklode structure.
By Chris Conway
Pro Medicus launches on-market buyback
[9:23 am]
Pro Medicus (PME) has announced an on-market buyback of up to 10.4 million shares, representing around 10% of its issued capital, with the program set to run from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
The buyback will be executed via Goldman Sachs and does not require shareholder approval. While pricing has not been disclosed, the move signals confidence from management and provides flexibility to return capital, potentially supporting earnings per share over time.
By Chris Conway
Good morning!
[9:20 am]
In a nutshell:
Strap in for a strong relief rally amid rising hopes for an end to the Iran war
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian open to ending the war with guarantees
Dow and S&P up more than 2% each, Nasdaq up almost 4%
OpenAI closes record-breaking $122 billion funding round as anticipation builds for IPO
WTI crude was only down slightly, while gold rallied more than 3%
