ASX rises, chasing Wall St gridlock rally; NAB profit falls 37%

Summary

• ASX pushed higher in early trade, rising by as much as 0.8%. Tech and healthcare surged. The Aussie is buying 71.82 US cents
• Wall Street surged overnight as markets saw the upside of political control in Washington remaining split between Democrats and Republicans
• The winner of the 2020 presidential election is still unclear and the race remains extremely tight, but the Biden camp is confident of victory
• NAB cash earnings are down 37% to $3.7b for the year and the lender will pay a scaled-back 30 cent dividend. Shares in the bank were up as much as 1.6% at the open before easing