At lunch on Tuesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to start the week with a strong gain. The benchmark index is currently up 1% to 7,384.8 points.
Here's what has been happening on the market today:
Image source: Getty Images
Tech shares charge higher
Tech shares such as Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) and Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) are charging higher on Tuesday and playing a key role in the market's gains. This follows a strong night of trade on the Nasdaq index, which saw the famous index rise 0.75% to a record high. The S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) is up over 1% at the time of writing.
Bank of Queensland's provision release
The Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ) share price is pushing higher after announcing that its next update will include a decrease in its collective provision. Bank of Queensland revealed that it expects to reduce its collective provision by $75 million. This is being driven primarily by Australia's improved economic outlook, leading to improvements in data quality relating to collateral.
Premier Investments hits record high
The Premier Investments Limited (ASX: PMV) share price has stormed to a new record high today. This appears to have been driven by a positive reaction from analysts at Macquarie to its recent trading update. Macquarie notes that the company's guidance is ahead of its expectations. This led to the broker retaining its outperform rating and $31.00 price target on Premier Investments' shares.
Best and worst ASX 200 performers
The best performer on the ASX 200 on Tuesday has been the A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) share price with a gain of almost 8%. Investors may have been expecting a2 Milk to have been dumped out of the ASX 100, but it survived by the skin of its teeth. The worst performer has been the De Grey Mining Limited (ASX: DEG) share price with a 6% decline amid weakness in the gold sector.
