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ASX dips 0.2% as utilities, miners weigh on market
Australian shares closed slightly lower on Monday, as declines in utilities and heavyweight mining stocks offset strength in healthcare and technology. The S&P/ASX 200 Index closed down 13.4 points, or 0.2%, at 8,831.0, with five of the market's 11 sectors finishing in negative territory. Utilities led declines during the session, as Origin Energy and Genesis Energy dipped 1.4% apiece, and Meridian Energy declined 2.1%. The Materials sector finished in the red. Among the major miners, BHP dipped 0.8%, and Rio Tinto ended flat, while Fortescue gained 0.9% despite confirming it had been served with a class action in the Federal Court relating to alleged workplace misconduct, including claims of sexual harassment and discrimination between 1 February 2006 and 5 December 2025. The legal action follows allegations from several current and former female employees of widespread sexual harassment and assault at the company's remote fly-in, fly-out operations. Gold producers weakened, with Northern Star Resources down 1.8%, Evolution Mining falling 1.6%, and Newmont closing 0.8% lower. Greatland Resources rose 0.2% after reporting production of 328,986 ounces of gold and 14,594 tonnes of copper during the 2026 financial y
ASX
ASX opens 0.1% lower after strong week in global equities
The Australian sharemarket opened slightly weaker on Monday in the absence of a lead from Wall Street on Friday and despite the best weekly performance by global stocks in two months. By 10:25 am AEST (12:25 am GMT), the ASX 200 index was down just 0.1% at 8,834.0. United States markets were closed on Friday for the Independence Day public holiday, but Morgan Stanley Capital International’s broadest index of world shares gained 2% last week as British, German and French indexes rose between 0.4% and 0.8% on Friday. Also supporting stocks was weaker-than-expected United States employment data, which reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve will leave interest rates unchanged at its next meeting. But investors remain worried about inflation, according to TD Securities’ head of global economics James Rossiter. "Our biggest anticipated risk this year, even before the ⁠Iran war, was shipping," he was quoted as saying in this Reuters report. "Ships have been rerouted all over the world because of the Hormuz Strait closure, leading to less shipping capacity globally," he said. This suggested the price effects of the closure were still working their way through the global economy. The Australian market had
ASX
ASX jumps 1.4% as healthcare, gold miners lead gains
The Australian sharemarket rallied on Friday, led by health care companies and gold miners after weaker-than-expected United States employment data reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve will leave interest rates unchanged at its next meeting, boosting bullion prices. The S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 119.9 points, or 1.4%, to close at 8,844.4, with nine of the 11 sectors finishing higher. The benchmark gained 0.9% for the week. Healthcare led the advance on the day, with CSL rising 3.5%, Cochlear adding 3.8%, ResMed advancing 4.0% and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare climbing 2.4%. The Materials sector also saw gains after overnight U.S. nonfarm payrolls data showed hiring slowed sharply in June, prompting investors to scale back expectations of further monetary tightening by the Federal Reserve. The stronger gold price drove substantial gains among local gold producers, with Northern Star Resources jumping 11.8%, Evolution Mining rising 8.8% and Newmont adding 5%. Genesis Minerals surged 16.7% after reporting June quarter gold production of 70,767 ounces, taking total output for the 2025-26 financial year to 285,400 ounces. Among the diversified miners, BHP gained 1.6%, while Rio Tinto edged 0.1% lower. Fort
ASX
ASX opens 0.5% higher despite mixed Wall Street signals
Australian shares opened higher on Friday after a varied session in New York, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached a record high despite weakness in the technology sector. By 10:30 am AEST (12:30 am GMT), the ASX 200 was up 0.5%, following a flat day on Thursday. Investors in Australia received mixed signals from Wall Street, where the Dow continued its bullish run, the S&P 500 finished broadly unchanged, and the Nasdaq Composite Index retreated on selling of technology and semiconductor stocks. The Dow jumped 1.10%, the S&P 500 slipped ‌0.06%, and the Nasdaq shed 0.87% on Thursday (Friday AEST), the last trading day before the Independence Day holiday. Granite Wealth Management managing director Bruce Zaro said investors were probably taking profits in chip stocks following this year's strong gains. "You can really point the finger at the consolidation in the chips," he was quoted as saying in a Reuters report. Data showing lower-than-expected U.S. jobs growth in June reinforced expectations the Federal Reserve was under less pressure to raise interest rates, but investors remained cautious about the risks of inflation. Burrell Stockbroking wealth adviser Adam Dight said he was recommending the bank
ASX
ASX closes flat as bank gains offset weakness
Australian shares recovered from early losses to finish virtually unchanged on Thursday as gains in the banking sector offset weakness across utilities, consumer discretionary, technology and energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Index edged up 1.6 points to close at 8,724.5, despite nine of the benchmark's 11 sectors finishing lower. Utilities led the declines, with Origin Energy falling 5.4%, APA Group losing 1.9% and AGL Energy slipping 1.2%. The Consumer Discretionary stocks also came under pressure after Goldman Sachs downgraded Wesfarmers to a "sell" recommendation. Wesfarmers dropped 4.0%, while JB Hi-Fi fell 1.7% and AP Eagers declined 4.3%. The Information Technology sector weakened amid a sell-off in global semiconductor stocks. WiseTech Global lost 1.6%, while NextDC fell 5.9%. Megaport dropped 4.9% after completing the retail component of its $827 million entitlement offer, raising approximately $308 million from retail investors. The new shares were issued at $14.30 each. Energy stocks also traded lower as Brent crude futures fell to multi-month lows amid reports of increased oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Santos lost 1.4%, Woodside Energy fell 1.3% and Beach Energy declined 1.8%. Financia

ASX
ASX down 0.5% as US tech sell-off sets negative tone
Australian shares opened lower on Thursday after weakness in United States technology stocks dragged Wall Street modestly lower overnight, with losses restrained by falling inflation worries and gains in Meta Platforms. The ASX 200 index was down 0.5% by 10:30 am AEST (12:30 am GMT). The Australian market got a cautious lead-in from the United States where the three main benchmarks dropped as investors lowered exposure to expensive semiconductor stocks ahead of the June non-farm payrolls report due later on Thursday (Friday AEST). The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.03% while the S&P 500 dropped 0.2% and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.7%, with gains in Meta Platforms limiting the decline of the latter two indexes. Comments from Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh that inflation risks had eased also supported the market. Investors also remained cautious about talks between the United States and Iran, especially with a long U.S. holiday weekend coming up, Ingalls & Snyder senior portfolio strategist Tim Ghriskey was quoted as saying in a Reuters article. Important monthly U.S. jobs data is due out on Thursday, with the market closed on Friday ahead of the 4 July holiday. The Australian market made a poor st
ASX
ASX falls 0.6%; consumer staples, banks lead declines
Australian shares traded lower on Wednesday, marking a subdued start to the new financial year as weakness across the banking and consumer staples sectors outweighed gains in materials. The S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 55.8 points or 0.6% to 8,722.9, with seven of the index's 11 sectors finishing in negative territory. Consumer staples led the declines. GrainCorp fell 1%, Woolworths lost 1.8%, and Treasury Wine Estates retreated 2.3%. Coles slumped 4.2% after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) blocked its proposed acquisition of a supermarket and liquor site in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, concluding the deal would likely substantially lessen competition in the region. The supermarket operator also confirmed it is in discussions to potentially acquire Greencross Pet Wellness Company from TPG Capital. The Financial sector also came under pressure; Commonwealth Bank fell 2.4%, National Australia Bank declined 2.3%, Westpac eased 1.5%, and ANZ dropped 2.5%. Despite the broader weakness, several financial services companies posted strong gains. Perpetual surged 16.8%, leading gains on the index, before entering a trading halt pending a further announcement. Netwealth climbed 7.7%, while Magellan
ASX
ASX 200 starts lower after US tech gains overnight
The Australian sharemarket opened lower on Wednesday, following its worst performance in four years after technology stocks powered a strong session on Wall Street overnight. By 10:30 am AEST (12:30 am GMT), the ASX 200 index had declined 0.5% to 8,733.0 points. The lower start follows another record-setting session in the United States where the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a record close as investors focussed more on economic fundamentals than geopolitical worries. The Dow rose 0.3% on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) but was surpassed by the S&P 500, which added 0.8%, and the Nasdaq Composite, which jumped 1.5%, as the market looked to the next round of quarterly profit reports with optimism about artificial intelligence (AI). "The market is looking forward and preparing for earnings season, which is not that far away," Spartan Capital Securities chief market economist Peter Cardillo was quoted as saying in a Reuters story. CommSec Equity Market Strategist James Gruber said Australian technology stocks should be well supported today given the strong performance of stocks on the Nasdaq overnight. “The positive is that normally you get a bit of buying at the start of the financial year because tax loss selling of st
ASX
ASX falls 0.5% as REITs drag market lower
Australian shares ended lower in the final session of the financial year amid weakness in the real estate and materials sectors. The S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 44.7 points, or 0.5%, to 8,778.7, with seven of the 11 sectors finishing in negative territory. Real estate investment trusts led declines during the session, with Goodman Group down 3%, Charter Hall Group falling 1.1%, Mirvac Group dipping 2.6 %, and Stockland falling 2.2%. The Materials sector also underperformed. Major miners declined, with BHP down 0.7%, Rio Tinto slipping 0.9% and Fortescue closing 1.9% lower. Gold miners also weakened as spot prices traded near seven-month lows around US$4,000 amid continued U.S. dollar strength. Northern Star Resources fell 5.8%, Evolution Mining lost 5.2%, and Newmont declined 2.2%. Capricorn Metals bucked the broader weakness in the gold sector, rising 0.5% after receiving federal environmental approval for its Mount Gibson Gold Project, clearing a key regulatory step ahead of final approvals in Western Australia. Financials pushed higher, despite mixed trading among the big four banks. Commonwealth Bank added 0.6%, ANZ gained 0.4%, while National Australia Bank and Westpac each eased 0.1%. Collins Foods fell 2.