1. The big four banks added almost $20 billion to their market value in a few hours yesterday, as investors respond to pandemic optimism.

2. The AFR has reported nearly 2 million Australians are struggling to pay rent, while investors are rushing to sell their properties "before prices drop even further".

3. A 30-year-old Queenslander has become the youngest coronavirus-related death in Australia. The man had been suffering seizures for weeks and was not tested for the virus until after his death. Two COVID-19 tests were performed, the first being positive and the second being negative. His fiancee has tested negative for the virus.

4. Tensions between China and the US increase as the US passed legislation condemning China for the torture of Uighur Muslims in the Xinjiang region.

5. The Dow jumped up 2.21% to 25,548.27. The S&P 500 was up 1.48% to 3,036.13 and Nasdaq was up 0.77% to 9,412.36.