ASX 200 opens 0.3% higher as energy shares rise and Challenger jumps 13.6%

Australian shares opened higher on Monday 19 October. The S&P/ASX 200 index was up 24.6 points, or 0.28%, at 8,831.3 as of 11:05pm GMT, The Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported.

Nine of the 11 sectors rose at the open, led by energy companies as oil traded near $US110 a barrel, while technology stocks led losses, the AFR said. Financial stocks also gained as Challenger shares jumped 13.55% at the open after the annuities company said it was considering a takeover proposal from Japan’s Dai-ichi Life valued at $7.8 billion.

Data centre operator NextDC entered a trading halt before the open, pending an announcement about a power supply delay at its M3 data centre in Melbourne, the AFR reported.

Futures had pointed to an 11-point fall at the open after Friday’s session on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 fell 1.1% and the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.1%, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. The ASX 200 rose 1% on Friday to 8,806.7 and gained 1% over last week, according to the ABC.

The Australian dollar was at 69.44 US cents at about 8pm GMT, up 0.4%, the ABC reported. Figures are in Australian dollars unless stated.