Yahoo Finance ASX closes higher amid US Capitol chaos
Updated 4:00pm AEDT.
The local bourse finished higher, despite chaotic scenes at the US Capitol.
The S&P/ASX 200 (^AXJO) closed 1.77 per cent higher to 6,724.10 points, while the All Ordinaries (^AORD) also finished 1.59 per cnet higher to 6,990.90 points.
It comes as Democrats and experts are calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th amendment and boot Trump for power until President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on 20 January.
What happened this morning?
The Australian stock market is surfing the Blue Wave, after Democrats flipped the US Senate in their favour for the first time in six years.
The S&P/ASX 200 (^AXJO) has opened 1.35 per cent higher to 6,696.20 points, after finishing down more than 1 per cent on Wednesday.
The broader All Ordinaries (^AORD) index also gained 1.29 per cent to 6,970.10 points at the opening of trade.
It comes after Wall Street’s major indexes, the Dow Jones and the S&P 500, closed the session higher as the Georgia Senate run-off unfolded.
What happened in the US?
The Dow Jones finished 1.44 per cent higher to 30,829.4 points, the S&P 500 finished 0.57 per cent to 3,748.14 points and the Nasdaq closed 0.61 per cent lower to 12,740.79 points.
Democratic senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff beat Trump-backed Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, securing President-elect Joe Biden’s control of the Senate.
This means the Republican party has officially lost control of the Senate, after six years of holding the majority in the chamber. Now, Biden and his party control both houses of Congress, and can likely bank on smooth sailing when trying to pass laws.
Meanwhile, US Capitol remains under lockdown, as pro-Trump protestors stormed the building following a mass rally.
Congress was due to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s win against Donald Trump, but the session was interrupted by what Biden deemed a “siege”.
Protesters have been pictured inside the building in a standoff with police, while law enforcement officials confirmed to CNN explosive devices had been found in the complex and at the nearby Republican National Committee. These have since been detonated and deemed safe.
A woman was also reportedly shot dead inside the House of Representatives chamber, while a police officer was taken to hospital and others are being treated for injuries.
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