ASX200 higher; Afterpay plunges; Employment Hero $45m fundraise

The tech sector is leading the gains today as Xero, Wisetech and Technology One each climb over 3%.

The Australian market is up 0.36% at 6814 points around lunchtime following a strong session on Wall Street overnight and expectations of an interest rate hold at 0.1% after the RBA?s board meeting today.

Liontown Resources is soaring more than 17% after announcing positive drill results for its Moora Project in WA.

Bitcoin is trading steady at US$49,517.20 at 1:30pm AEDT.

Afterpay has reversed morning gains this afternoon following Swedish BNPL rival Klarna?s US$1BN fund raising to expand operations in the US. Klarna, which is backed by the Commonwealth Bank, has a post-fundraising valuation of US$31BN.

In the headlines, Australian HR tech company Employment Hero has raised AUD$45M for global expansion and growth into NZ, Southeast Asia and the UK, valuing the company at over AUD$250M.

And an 8-year-old American boy has become the youngest Fortnite player ever to sign an esports deal worth US$33,000.