ASX 200 report:
7 April 2026

The Australia 200 trades 132 points (+1.54%) higher at 8711 at 3.20pm AEDT.

Strong rebound lifts the ASX200

The ASX 200 is on track for its highest daily close in nearly a month after surging an eye‑popping 224 points (+2.6%) shortly after reopening this morning to a four‑week high of 8804.

The magnitude of the early rally comfortably outpaced the roughly 1.9% gains seen on the S&P 500 while the local market was closed for the four‑day Easter long weekend. Much of the overshoot likely stemmed from short covering, as traders who went home short ahead of the break, either as a tactical trade or as a hedge against worsening Middle East tensions, covered on the open.

At current levels, the ASX 200 is roughly 500 points (5.4%) below its record high of 9202 and about 448 points (5.4%) above its recent low of 8262.

That level feels like fair value heading into what looks like a binary outcome tied to tomorrow’s deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, or face United States (US) strikes on Iranian bridges and power plants, assuming the deadline is not pushed back again. A ceasefire could quickly open the door to a rebound toward the 9200 record high, while any escalation or failure to extend the deadline would likely trigger a swift retest of the recent 8262 low.

ASX 200 stocks

Consumer discretionary sector

Consumer staples have lagged the broader rally as investors rotate out of defensive names into higher‑beta plays.

• Coles Group slipped 1.66% to $22.25
• Bubs Australia dived 4.55% to $0.105
• A2 Milk eased 1.17% to $9.28 after agreeing to a $62 million settlement, with no admission of liability, to resolve long‑running Victorian class‑action proceedings
• In other news, Guzman y Gomez shares jumped 18.49% to $18.01 after the Mexican food chain delivered a strong quarterly update, revealing robust same‑store sales growth and accelerating store rollout momentum across Australia and offshore. The move brings some relief to investors who have watched the stock tumble from its $45.99 high reached in February last year.

Materials sector

The heavyweight materials sector has continued its rebound following a sharp 24% fall in March.

• BlueScope Steel has surged 4.45% to $27.22
• Lynas Rare Earths has jumped 4.07% to $20.19
• BHP up 2.93% to $52.73
• Rio Tinto adding 2.60% to $165.83.

Technology sector

The information technology sector has been the strongest performer, riding the coattails of a solid Nasdaq session overnight.

• Shares in data centre operator NextDC have surged 12.30% to $12.65 after the company announced a $1 billion wholesale offer of subordinated hybrid securities, backed by a $1 billion binding commitment from Canadian investment giant La Caisse. The fresh capital will help fund ongoing data centre development and future capacity expansions
• Zip up 5.24% to $1.66
• Megaport adding 2.90% to $7.10, as investors rotated into growth‑oriented technology names.

ASX 200 technical analysis

At the 8262 low in late March, the ASX 200 had fallen 940 points, or a neat 10.20%, from the 9202.9 record high struck in late February. The index must reclaim the 200‑day moving average, currently at 8776, on a sustained basis to increase confidence that a medium‑term low is in place at 8262 and that the broader uptrend has resumed. Until then, a retest and potential break of the 8262 low remains possible.

ASX 200 daily candlestick chart

• _{Source: TradingView. The figures stated are as of 7 April 2026. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. This report does not contain and is not to be taken as containing any financial product advice or financial product recommendation.}