Banks Surge in Australia on Morrison's Shock Election Win

A man looks at an electronic board displaying stock information at the Australian Securities Exchange.

Photographer: Lisa Maree Williams/Bloomberg
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Shares of Australia’s big four banks surged in Sydney trading, after Scott Morrison’s center-right government pulled off a shock election win, killing opposition plans to wind back tax breaks for property and stock market investors.

Westpac Banking Corp. led the rally, closing 9.2% higher for its biggest one-day gain in almost 31 years. National Australia Bank Group Ltd. jumped 7.9%, Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. added 7.8% and Commonwealth Bank of Australia climbed 6.3%.