Sydney - A big bounce on Wall Street saw Australian stocks make gains Wednesday, halting a five-day losing streak that had taken the market to a four-year low.
The ASX 200 quickly rose 154 points, or 4 per cent, to 3,948, but the rally ran out of steam, with the index closing up 51 points, or 1.3 per cent, to 3,845.
A local rally had been expected after the US blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its second-largest point gain in history, following strong stock gains in Europe and Asia.