ASX200 rallies; 4D Medical soars 13% on new deal; Telstra acquires MedicalDirector for $350m

The Australian market is trading in positive territory to start the week, up 0.12% at 7547.60 after lunchtime as the financial sector leads gains on the key index, boosted by Suncorp surging 8.35% after releasing positive results including a rebound in profit.

The tech sector is in the red today as Nuix plummets more than 4% while Appen is down 2% and Afterpay is trading 1.73% lower.

Bitcoin is trading 1.52% lower in the last 24-hours at US$43,384.42 at 1:15pm AEST.

Australian-based medical tech company 4D Medical is soaring more than 13% today after announcing it has signed a commercial contract with Novartis AG, a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company. Under the deal Novartis AG will use 4D Medical?s XV Lung Ventilation Software (XV LVAS) to ?assess patient outcomes in a clinical program focused on validating pharmaceutical therapies to treat Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)?.

Making headlines, Telstra has announced its intentions to acquire leading GP clinical and practice management software company, MedicalDirector for $350m in a bid to create connected and improved digital health experiences for all. Telstra?s acquisition will see MedicalDirector?s 23,000 supported medical practitioners and over 80 million consultations per year added to the Telstra brand.

And Tesla has delayed production of its highly-anticipated Cybertruck to 2022, three years after the electric truck was first unveiled.