Australian shares rallied on Wednesday as banks' shares gained after the rate hike by the Reserve Bank of Australia, and US President Donald Trump cited "great progress" towards a peace deal with Iran.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 1.3%, or 113.10 points, to close at 8,793.60.
Brent crude oil futures fell below $108 per barrel. President Trump said that a US naval operation to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz would be paused to secure a peace deal with Iran to end the conflict.
On the domestic front, Australia's industry activity remained in contraction in April, as persistent weakness in manufacturing and construction and rising fuel-driven cost pressures outweighed early signs of stabilization in orders and employment, the Australian Industry Group said.
The Australian Industry Index rose by 9.8 points in April but remained firmly in contraction at negative 24.4. The Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index rose by 0.7 to negative 27.9, while the Australian Performance of Construction Index jumped 37.8 to negative 19.3.
In company news, DigiCo Infrastructure REIT (ASX:DGT) agreed to sell its Chicago facility for $750 million to a third-party North American fund manager. The sale, expected to reach financial close in the first quarter of fiscal year 2027, is anticipated to release net cash proceeds of AU$360 million post repayment of asset-level debt and increase available liquidity to AU$900 million. Its shares gained 23% at market close.
DPM Metals (ASX:DPM) reported first-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.76 per basic share, up from $0.32 a year earlier. Revenue for the three months ended March 31 was $310.4 million, compared with $144.1 million a year earlier. Its shares closed down 2%.
Lastly, NexGen Energy (ASX:NXG) reported on Wednesday a first-quarter loss of CA$0.24 per share, compared with CA$0.09 a year earlier. The company said it does not have any revenue except for interest income. Its shares fell 3% on market close.