Market Wrap / record close

The local market pushed higher towards a record close his Wednesday. The S&P/ASX 200 finished up 0.7% to 8597.70 points, surpassing its previous all-time closing high.

The miners extended their gains from recent data signalling a recovery in Chinese manufacturing activity.

Meanwhile, retail sales rose a meagre 0.2%, reinforcing expectations of a July rate cut, and sending the real estate sector higher.

In corporate news, Qantas shares fell 2.2% after the airline reported a cyber attack affecting customer data. 

Helia was hammered, falling 21.4% as the insurer flagged the loss of its ING contract, compounding the earlier exit of CBA.

And at Domino’s, CEO Mark Van Dyk will step down from the top job after just one year in the role. Shares plunged 15.8%.