Australian Stock Market Today: ASX 200 Rebounds Above 8,500 as Takeover Deals Spark Rally

The Australian share market kicked off the new trading week with a sharp rebound today, Monday 24 November 2025, as the S&P/ASX 200 jumped more than 1% and climbed back above the 8,500 mark. A wave of takeover news around Qube Holdings and Monash IVF, together with renewed hopes of a US Federal Reserve rate cut, helped power broad-based gains across industrials, technology, healthcare, miners and banks. ^[1]

ASX 200 today: market snapshot (24 November 2025)

By the close of trade in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 was up around 1.2–1.3%, finishing just above 8,520 points, according to multiple data providers. Commonwealth Bank’s market wrap put the benchmark at 8,518.6 (+1.21%), while ABC’s live markets blog reported a gain of 1.3% to about 8,525 points. ^[2]

The broader All Ordinaries index also bounced, adding 1.24% to 8,794.3, underscoring the strength of the recovery after last week’s slide to five‑month lows. ^[3]

Other key snapshots:

Market breadth: Advancers comfortably outnumbered decliners, with more than 700 stocks rising versus about 445 falling on the ASX, and over 400 closing flat. ^[4]
Volatility: The S&P/ASX 200 VIX – a gauge of expected volatility – dropped almost 10% to around 13.8, signalling a marked easing in investor anxiety after recent turbulence. ^[5]
Australian dollar: The AUD traded roughly flat around US$0.645–0.65, little changed from late last week. ^[6]

Global cues: Fed rate‑cut hopes revive risk appetite

Today’s rally in Australian shares was part of a broader rebound across the Asia‑Pacific region after a strong finish on Wall Street on Friday.

New York Fed president John Williams signalled there may still be “room for a further adjustment” to interest rates at the Fed’s December meeting, boosting market expectations of a third US rate cut in 2025. ^[7]
MPC Markets notes that traders now price roughly a 70% chance of a December cut, up from about 40% in mid‑November, helping rate‑sensitive growth stocks recover. ^[8]

Across the region:

Kospi (South Korea) gained about 1.5%
Hang Seng (Hong Kong) climbed more than 1–2%
Japanese markets were shut for a holiday. ^[9]

Improved global risk sentiment gave Australian tech, healthcare and industrial names room to bounce after heavy selling in recent weeks.

Takeover fever: Qube and Monash IVF dominate headlines

M&A news stole the spotlight on the ASX today, with logistics group Qube Holdings and fertility provider Monash IVF seeing explosive moves after fresh deal headlines.

Qube Holdings soars on Macquarie’s $11.6 billion bid

Ports and logistics operator Qube Holdings (ASX: QUB) was the standout winner.

Macquarie Asset Management lobbed an indicative all‑cash takeover proposal at $5.20 per share, valuing Qube at about A$11.6 billion. ^[10]
The offer represents roughly a 27–28% premium to Friday’s close at $4.07. ^[11]
Qube’s board has entered exclusive due diligence with Macquarie until early February and has broadly signalled support for progressing talks. ^[12]

Investors wasted no time repricing the stock:

Qube shares rocketed around 18–19% to about $4.86, marking a record high and closing only just below the indicative offer price. ^[13]

RBC Capital Markets described the bid as effectively a “full valuation” for Qube, noting the implied FY25 EBITDA multiple of roughly 14–15 times, and suggesting limited scope for an easy rival bidder to outbid Macquarie without stretching valuations further. ^[14]

Monash IVF rockets after rejecting PE takeover proposal

Fertility services provider Monash IVF Group (ASX: MVF) delivered one of the most eye‑catching price moves on the market.

The company revealed to the ASX that it had rejected an unsolicited, conditional and non‑binding takeover proposal from a consortium led by Genesis Capital and Washington H. Soul Pattinson (WHSP). ^[15]
The indicative offer, reportedly pitched at around $0.80 per share, was branded “opportunistic” and below fair value when compared with recent deals in the global fertility sector. ^[16]

The board’s firm rejection triggered a powerful rerating:

Monash IVF shares surged roughly 40% intraday, trading up from around 61 cents to the mid‑80‑cent region, their biggest one‑day jump in years. ^[17]

The move suggests investors broadly agree the bid undervalued the business, and that the company may now be in play – whether via a sweetened offer from the existing consortium or potential interest from other suitors.

Tech, healthcare and industrials power the rebound

Today’s rally was notably broad, but technology, healthcare and industrials led gains, helping drag the index away from last week’s lows.

Technology: bounce in rate‑sensitive growth names

Rate‑sensitive growth stocks recovered some lost ground as bond yields eased on Fed‑cut hopes:

WiseTech Global and Life360 were singled out by MPC Markets as key contributors, rising around 2% and nearly 7%, respectively, as investors rotated back into quality tech after a bruising week. ^[18]
The improved sentiment followed a rough patch for global tech names, particularly after recent volatility around US chipmakers.

Healthcare: CSL steadies, Pro Medicus rallies on US deals

The healthcare sector also outperformed:

Blood‑products giant CSL (ASX: CSL) added around 1.5–2.0%, contributing meaningfully to index gains after a prolonged period of weakness this year. ^[19]
Pro Medicus (ASX: PME) climbed about 4–5% after investors digested news of fresh contract wins in the US medical imaging market.
- The company recently disclosed three new US customer contracts with a combined minimum value of about A$29 million, adding to an already strong FY26 sales pipeline. ^[20]

Industrials: Qube drives index, but others join the party

Beyond Qube’s outsized move, the industrials cohort generally traded higher:

The MPC “Closing Bell” note highlighted that industrials were among the strongest sectors, alongside tech and healthcare, as investors selectively bought into infrastructure and logistics plays geared to global trade flows. ^[21]

Resources and banks join the move higher

While the biggest fireworks were in corporate news, miners and banks also helped underpin today’s advance.

Miners: BHP walks away from Anglo, Rio climbs

On the heavyweight miners:

BHP (ASX: BHP) confirmed it had ended preliminary takeover talks with Anglo American, saying its own growth plan remained more compelling. ^[22]
The decision ends months of speculation about a mega‑deal that would have reshaped the global mining landscape. BHP shares traded roughly flat to modestly higher, with some relief that management would avoid overpaying in a competitive copper and critical‑minerals environment. ^[23]
Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) enjoyed solid gains – around 2% – as iron ore prices edged higher and risk appetite improved across cyclicals. ^[24]

Banks: big four support the index

Kalkine Media reported that banks, along with miners, were key drivers of the broader market rise, with major lenders trading higher as global sentiment improved and domestic consumer confidence finally turned positive. ^[25]

Laggards: lithium and rare earths stay under pressure

Not every corner of the Australian share market participated in today’s rally.

Battery metals and some high‑beta names underperformed:

Liontown Resources (ASX: LTR) fell about 6–6.5%,
Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS) lost around 3.5%, and
IGO (ASX: IGO) slipped more than 3%. ^[26]

These moves reflect ongoing pressure across lithium and rare earths, where prices and sentiment have remained volatile despite longer‑term demand stories linked to the energy transition.

Analysts at The Bull also cautioned that some uranium and rare earths stocks, such as Paladin Energy and Lynas Rare Earths, may still be trading ahead of fundamentals after big rallies, even though Lynas actually rose today. ^[27]

Small caps fight back while blue chips lag

Another feature of the session was the contrast between mid‑caps/small caps and the ASX 20 blue‑chip index.

ABC’s live blog noted that while the ASX 200 was up about 1% at midday, the ASX 20 – home to the largest companies – was rising only around 0.6%, implying stronger gains further down the market cap spectrum. ^[28]
InvestorDaily highlighted that smaller companies have started to outperform as investors look beyond crowded blue‑chip names towards undervalued growth stories, particularly in niche tech, healthcare and resources. ^[29]

This rotation helps explain why names like DroneShield, Pro Medicus, Monash IVF and various explorers have seen significant interest in recent weeks, even amid volatility.

DroneShield drama: mea culpa after governance storm

AI‑focused defence stock DroneShield (ASX: DRO) remained in focus after a wild fortnight.

The company has been under intense scrutiny following large share sales by senior executives, a contract disclosure error, and the abrupt cancellation of an investor call, which together triggered a brutal sell‑off of more than 30% from its highs. ^[30]
Today, DroneShield issued what ABC described as a “mea culpa” of sorts, acknowledging that its stakeholder engagement had not met expectations and promising a review of disclosure and trading policies. ^[31]

The tone shift helped the stock claw back some ground, though it remains well below peak levels. The episode has become a case study in how quickly governance and communication missteps can puncture even a market darling in a hot sector.

Sentiment, the Australian dollar and commodities

Macro underpinnings for Australian risk assets have improved slightly over November:

The Westpac–Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index jumped 12.8% to 103.8, moving into net positive territory for the first time in almost four years and signalling that optimists now outnumber pessimists. ^[32]
That upswing is good news for retailers and the domestic economy, even if higher confidence complicates the Reserve Bank of Australia’s balancing act on interest rates.

On the commodities and currency front:

Gold eased slightly, trading just above US$4,040–4,070/oz.
Brent crude hovered near US$62–63/bbl, little changed.
Iron ore held around US$104–105/tonne.
The Australian dollar stayed anchored around US$0.645–0.65, reflecting a balance between domestic optimism and external rate‑cut hopes. ^[33]

These settings are broadly supportive rather than spectacular for Australian equities: not so weak as to imply recession risk, not so strong as to force sudden tightening.

Short interest: where the bears are positioned

Fresh data and commentary on short selling show where sceptical investors are focusing their firepower.

A new report on the 10 most shorted ASX shares for 24 November 2025 highlighted Boss Energy as remaining heavily shorted, with some traders questioning the sustainability of its uranium production ramp‑up despite strong spot prices. ^[34]

While short interest alone is not a reason to avoid or buy a stock, elevated short positions can:

increase volatility if news surprises either way, and
set up the potential for short squeezes when positive catalysts force bears to cover.

Trading ideas and broker themes for Australian investors

Alongside today’s price action, a range of broker and analyst notes published this morning offer a window into how professionals are positioning in this environment:

The Bull’s “18 Share Tips” feature for 24 November highlighted:
- Buy ideas such as Sigma Healthcare, MyState, Mesoblast, Haranga Resources and even DroneShield (for high‑risk investors),
- Hold calls on names like CSL, Xero and Shaver Shop, and
- Sell ratings on Paladin Energy, Lynas, Super Retail Group and Collins Foods, where valuations or earnings momentum are seen as stretched or challenged. ^[35]

Taken together with the day’s trading, several themes stand out:

Quality growth on sale: Big‑cap healthcare and tech (e.g. CSL, Xero, WiseTech) are still down heavily from earlier peaks, yet remain central to many long‑term portfolios.
M&A as a catalyst: Qube and Monash IVF show that strategic assets with solid underlying cash flows can attract takeover interest even in choppy markets.
Small‑cap stock‑picking: With small caps fighting back, selective exposure – particularly to companies with improving balance sheets or clear catalysts – is back on the radar.

What today’s move means for the Australian share market

Today’s rally does not erase the volatility of recent weeks, but it does suggest that:

Global rate‑cut expectations still matter enormously for local risk assets.
Investors are willing to reward credible corporate actions – whether that’s Macquarie’s bold move on Qube or Monash IVF’s willingness to reject a low‑ball approach.
There is increasing dispersion beneath the index level: lithium and some high‑flyers continue to struggle, while quality industrials, infrastructure, and healthcare names attract fresh buying.

For investors, the key takeaways are:

The headline ASX 200 level above 8,500 masks significant sector‑ and stock‑level divergence.
M&A, governance and macro data (like consumer sentiment and Fed communications) are driving rapid repricings.
A disciplined focus on balance sheets, cash flows, and management quality is likely to remain more important than ever in navigating the rest of 2025.

As always, this article is general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Anyone considering investing in Australian shares should assess their own objectives, financial situation and risk tolerance, and seek professional advice where appropriate.

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