Commonwealth Bank shares are soaring so could they go higher?

•  Commonwealth Bank shares hit record high $168 

By STEPHEN JOHNSON, ECONOMICS REPORTER FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 08:48 BST, 24 April 2025 | Updated: 08:56 BST, 24 April 2025

The share price of Australia’s biggest company has hit a record high of $168 despite Donald Trump’s trade war causing volatility on global share markets.

Commonwealth Bank shares reached a new high on Tuesday even though the broader Australian share market peaked in February – before the US unleashed the most draconian protectionism since the 1930s.

Very few investments reached record highs this week, apart from gold which is considered a safe-haven investment during financial market turmoil.

None of the other Big Four banks are anywhere near their peaks with Westpac and NAB off their February highs and ANZ still below where it was in early April.

This was ahead of the Trump Administration’s new, broad-based tariffs – including 10 per cent on Australia – sparking the worst share market plunge since the start of Covid five years ago. Import duties on China have since been ramped up to 145 per cent – sparking fears of a surge in American inflation.

Moomoo chief executive Michael McCarthy said investors now saw Australia as a safer bet in the face of Trump’s turmoil, making the Commonwealth Bank – Australia’s biggest home lender – a solid investment with high dividends.

‘Domestic Australia should do better, on a relative basis, than for example the US – that means there’s likely to be a focus on Australian stocks generally,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.

‘Of course, that means that there’s a focus on the number one stock in Australia, which is CBA.

Australia’s biggest company has hit record highs this week despite Donald Trump ‘s trade war causing volatility on global share markets

‘All those factors added together point to potential further highs.’ 

The Commonwealth Bank’s healthy base of Australian deposit accounts and home mortgages, at a time of low unemployment in Australia, is winning over investors following a plunge in tech stocks since the end of last year. 

‘That will be a safer situation whenever the global banking cycle turns,’ Mr McCarthy said.

A weaker Australian dollar, now worth just 64 US cents, has also encouraged investors to buy Commonwealth Bank shares, hoping the currency would eventually appreciate.

‘With the Aussie dollar at low levels, for international investors, there’s the added attraction that they may well get currency appreciation and it might actually be the key driver for them coming to Australia,’ he said.

Mr McCarthy said traders also bought into the Commonwealth Bank shares on Tuesday to punish short sellers, who bet on the share price falling.

‘With near its all-time highs and the rest of the market nowhere near that, the shorts had built up in CBA – I suspect what happened there was an attempt to bust shorts,’ he said.

‘Buyers came into the market, pushed it through its previous all-time high and tried to maintain it at that level to force a short squeeze. 

Commonwealth Bank shares hit an all-time high of $168 on Tuesday even though the broader Australian share market peaked in February – before the US unleashed the most draconian protectionism since the 1930s

‘Trading can be a nasty game – those who act with malice get taught a lesson by the market; at the extreme end, the market is not a nice place.’

The futures market also sees the Reserve Bank cutting interest rates four more times in 2025, which would see the cash rate fall from 4.1 per cent now to 3.1 per cent by Christmas. 

This would boost demand for the Commonwealth Bank, as investors chase high dividends instead of leaving their money in the bank as deposit rates fall.

‘If the RBA does go harder on the easing cycle, it’s another reason to think Australian stocks might get another fillip, particularly from international buying,’ he said.

The Commonwealth Bank was up 0.9 per cent on Thursday to $165.22, with the stock falling on Wednesday from Tuesday’s all-time high of $168 as investors sold trying to make a quick profit. 

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Commonwealth Bank shares are soaring so could they go higher?

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