End of Day Report – Thursday 5 June: ASX 200 falls 3 points | Lithium and rare earths rally hard

The ASX 200 tried hard to attack and sustain the all-time high but failed, dropping 3 points to 8539 (0.1%). Banks were flat as some profit taking crept in, CBA up 0.1% with the Big Bank Basket up to $282.74 (0.1%) insurers down slightly, QBE off 1.4% and financials finding sellers here. REITs mixed, GMG up 1.1% with GPT also firming. Industrials generally lower, CPU fell 1.2% with retailers giving back some of the gains, JBH down 2.0% and CTD off 1.1%. Tech better, the index up % with TNE and XRO making modest gains. In resources, the iron ore miners rose slightly, FMG the best up 1.5%, but the real action was in critical metals either rare earths, or lithium. LYC jumped 12.5% and ILU up 7.1% with MIN rallying 14.8%. PLS too doing well, up 12.5% as shorts moved to cover on Chinese reluctance to make a deal and rare earth exports not forthcoming. IPX soared 28.8% on a DoD deal for US$99m. Gold miners fell, GMD down 2.5% with EVN off 1.6% and CYL falling 3.5%. Uranium stocks flat, coal firmed, WHC up 1.8%. In corporate news, TYR fell 10.4% on news its CEO was leaving. CAT dropped 1.0% on an acquisition and PAC fell 5.0% on a media report on overvaluations. In economic news, Household spending rose 0.1% in April, the seasonally adjusted balance on goods decreased $1,479m in April. 

Asian market mixed, Japan down 0.4% and HK up 0.6% China flat. 10-year yields lower at 4.24%.

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