Well, it only took a few days. This Thursday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) once again reset its all-time record high.
Yep, after closing at 8,406.7 points yesterday afternoon, the ASX 200 opened at that level this morning before rising up as high as 8,477.1 points in late afternoon trading today. That happens to be the ASX 200's latest all-time high, a level never before seen in the Australian stock market's long history.
The index ended up shutting at 8,444.3 points, a new closing record as well.
Yet these highs are just the latest for the ASX 200 in a year that has seen more new highs for the index than we can count. Remember, the index began this year at just under 7,630 points and only breached the 8,000-point mark for the first time in July.
As of today's close, the ASX 200 is up 10.7% in 2024 and 20.37% over the past 12 months.
Check it out for yourself below:
So why has the ASX 200 once again reset its record high today?
Well, round up the usual suspects.
Image source: Getty Images
These ASX 200 shares are driving the index to even higher records
To probably no one's surprise, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares lent a helping hand. The CBA share price rose a healthy 0.64% this Thursday and closed at $158.58 a share, just a whisker below its own all-time record of $160.27.
Ditto with National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB). NAB shares gained 0.87% this session and closed at $39.53 a share. Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) and ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) added 0.81% and 0.35%, respectively.
BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) also helped mightily. An ASX 200 laggard in 2024, BHP shares got a 0.73% bump today. As the ASX 200's second-largest stock, BHP's rise undoubtedly helped today's new record.
Ditto with the ASX 200's third-largest company, CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL). CSL shares had an exceptional session this Thursday, putting on 1.58% to $285.18 a share.
BHP and CSL's gains today are particularly important, as they have proved to be major drags on the index over 2024 thus far.
With the ASX 200's six largest stocks all enjoying hefty gains this session, it's not a huge surprise that the index has reached this new high.
How many more records will tumble for the ASX 200 over the rest of 2024? Perhaps 8,500 points is next. Or maybe today's high is the last we'll witness for a while… We'll have to wait and see.
