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ASX 200 ends flat; posts 1.5% weekly decline
The Australian sharemarket finished just below the flatline on Friday, capping a 1.5% weekly decline amid weakness in the consumer discretionary and utilities sectors. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index edged down 3.6 points to 8,881.9, despite seven of the 11 industry groups closing higher. Consumer Discretionary led the declines, as JB Hi-Fi dropped 3.4%, Aristocrat Leisure fell 0.8%, and Wesfarmers slid 2.5%. The utilities sector also weighed on the market, with Meridian Energy and Genesis Energy losing 2.1% and 1.3%, respectively. Origin Energy slipped 2.8% after reporting flat gas production volumes from its Australia Pacific LNG venture in Queensland for the September quarter. The company said electricity sales from its energy markets division were steady, but retail gas sales volumes fell 12% from a year earlier. Investor sentiment was tempered as traders digested the outcome of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea. Trump described the discussion as an “amazing meeting”, saying China would halt rare earth controls and resume purchases of U.S. soybeans. Gold producers were standouts on the day, buoyed by a rebound in bullion prices. Northern Star and
ASX
Trading floor: EOS, MYX tank, Western Mines soars
Azzet reports on three ASX stocks with price moving updates today. Electro Optic Systems sinks after posting quarterly update ~ Despite opening around 4% higher at $6.65, shares in Electro Optic Systems (ASX: EOS) started giving back all of their early morning gains 45 minutes after the open and were trading 2.3% lower at 2:20 pm AEDT (3:20 am GMT). At first blush, the market was clearly titillated by today’s release of the defence stock’s quarterly activity report. However, after closer analysis, there was something within the update the market didn’t like; either that or it may have been sold down as shareholders locked in gains after its recent run up amid fears it might be looking a little toppy. Like some of its peers in the defence sector, Electro’s share price has been on a tear and has more than doubled to $6.32 since staging its ascent from $3 a share early August. The share price has rallied following a slew of order book development activity and following the signing of the Land 400-3 contract on 6 October, the contract backlog was around $415 million, which represents a $279 million or 206% increase from 31 December 2024. During the quarter, EOS Space Systems – one of the company’s two operating divisi
ASX
Losing streak to end with ASX likely to open higher
The Australian sharemarket is expected to open a little higher on Friday despite the main stock indices in the United States finishing lower overnight. The S&P/ASX 200 index is expected to start about 0.1% above the prior close, snapping a three-day losing streak, when it opens at 10 am AEDT (11 pm Thursday GMT). This is based on the December share price index contract being quoted 13 points over the prior settlement at 8,913 points, at the time of writing. Stocks on Wall Street finished down on Thursday (Friday AEDT) as Microsoft and Meta fell over concerns about spending on artificial intelligence and amid reduced expectations of interest rate cuts. The Dow Jones Industrial Average inched 0.2% down, the S&P 500 lost 1% and the Nasdaq Composite gave up 1.6%. Meta shares suffered their biggest one-day drop in three years after forecasting "notably larger" capital expenditure, while Microsoft sagged after warning that spending would rise. Burrell Stockbroking wealth adviser Adam Dight said the U.S. market had fallen as the Meta result disappointed investors but it raised the question of whether investors would use this as an opportunity to invest money held in cash. “What will be interesting to see how much of
ASX
ASX 200 extends declines; rate-sensitive sectors fall
The Australian sharemarket extended losses for the third consecutive session on Thursday as investors adjusted to fading hopes of further rate cuts from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) following yesterday's hotter-than-expected quarterly inflation figures. The S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 40.7 points, or 0.5%, to close at 8,885.5, with seven of the 11 industry sectors ending lower. According to the RBA Rate Tracker, the probability of a rate cut to 3.35% fell sharply to 39%, down from 62% the day before, signalling a decisive shift in market expectations. Rate-sensitive sectors bore the brunt of the sell-off. Consumer discretionary stocks led losses, with Wesfarmers tumbling 7.1% after warning of narrowing profit margins and softening sales. Electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi slipped 5.1%, despite maintaining 6% sales growth in its Australian division for the September quarter. Property stocks also extended declines as expectations for lower interest rates receded. Goodman Group lost 1.3%, Charter Hall dipped 1.7%, Mirvac fell 3.8% and Stockland shed 3.4%. Among company updates, Coles shares dropped 2.6% after the retailer’s September-quarter sales slightly missed market forecasts, despite a 3.9% rise in total group
ASX
Trading floor: MinRes, Activeport up, Coles down
Azzet reports on three ASX stocks with price moving updates today. Mineral Resources soars after posting strong quarterly update ~ Shares in Mineral Resources (ASX: MIN) were trading 12.1% higher by 1:40 pm AEDT (2:40 am GMT) after the lithium miner and diversified resources producer posted a record-setting quarter update that beat the market’s expectations across key divisions. What the market also smiled on today was the miner’s reminder that FY26 production and cost guidance across all divisions remained on track. Contributing strongly to today’s result was the Onslow Iron project, which achieved a 50% increase in shipments and completed haul road upgrades. With Onslow Iron operating at its 35 million tonne per annum (Mtpa) nameplate capacity between August and October, the miner stands to receive a $200 million contingent payment from Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners. The Pilbara Hub also posted strong results, with shipments of 2.7Mt and a maiden resource of 161Mt, while lithium operations at Wodgina and Mt Marion saw higher recoveries and production, supported by optimisation projects. The miner also stands to rake in an additional $41 million purchase price adjustment from Hancock Prospecting followi

ASX
ASX seen starting lower on dashed rate cut hopes
Lower expectations of interest rate cuts are set to undermine share prices in Australia, which are likely to open lower on Thursday after a mixed night in the United States. The S&P/ASX 200 index is expected to start about 0.5% below the previous close, extending the losses sustained on Wednesday. The December share price index contract was quoted 47 points under the prior settlement at 8,893 points, at the time of writing. U.S. stocks closed mixed on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points, but Chair Jerome Powell said another cut in December was not a foregone conclusion. “He has basically done that in basically every press conference in which they have had a rate move, he has walked back market expectations for the next meeting," SignatureFD Chief Investment Officer Tony Welch was quoted as saying in a Reuters story. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2% and the S&P 500 lost 0.3 points, but the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.6% to a new record as Nvidia shares rallied. The Australian sharemarket had closed 1% lower on Wednesday after higher-than-expected quarterly inflation reduced the chances of another rate cut this year, with the S&P/ASX 200 ending at 8,926.2
ASX
Markets: ASX 200 falls 1% as CPI crushes rate cut hopes
The Australian sharemarket slumped on Wednesday, led lower by health care and industrial stocks after quarterly inflation data came in hotter than expected, all but eliminating the prospect of another Reserve Bank rate cut this year. The S&P/ASX 200 fell 86.3 points, or 1%, to 8,926.2, with seven of the 11 industry sectors finishing in the red. The healthcare sector remained the biggest laggard, extending Tuesday’s losses as CSL shed 4% following its annual general meeting. Other major healthcare names also weakened, with Pro Medicus down 4.4%, Cochlear losing 2.2% and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare retreating 1%. Telix Pharmaceuticals slipped 1.6% after announcing it would release 45,584 ordinary shares from voluntary escrow on 6 November. Industrials lost 2% overall, with Brambles and Transurban falling 1.9% apiece, while Computershare shed 2.4%. The financials sector weighed heavily on the index, with Commonwealth Bank falling 2.1%, National Australia Bank down 2.6%, Westpac retreating 3.1% and ANZ declining 0.4%. Rate-sensitive A-REITs dropped as Goodman Group dipped 1.4%, Charter Hall lost 2.7%, Mirvac fell 2.1% and Scentre Group lost 1.2%. Among outperformers, Nick Scali surged 12.7% after reporting stron
ASX
Trading floor: Nick Scali, Stakk, Data#3 move higher
Azzet reports on three ASX stocks with price moving updates today. Nick Scali rallies on September quarter update ~ Shares in Nick Scali (ASX: NCK) were up 11.7% by 2:15 pm AEDT (3:15 am GMT) after the furniture retailer posted an impressive trading up for the first half of FY26, with first quarter sales revenue up 6% over the previous period. However, given that the bulk of today’s data was already flagged during the FY25 result, today’s share market rise appears a little overdone. Clearly, the market is encouraged by the company’s robust start to FY26 amid circling macroeconomic uncertainty. Management told the market this morning to expect a strong 7-9% on-year lift in first half sales revenue and reported 11.6% growth in total written sales orders across Australia and NZ in Q1 FY26, with same-store orders up 10.7%. Group profit is forecast to come in at $33 to 35 million, compared to $30 million in H1 FY25. The group had a combined store network of 130 stores at the end of June 2025 and plans to open five new stores this year, including three Nick Scali and two Plush outlets. Included within today’s trading update, management also noted:The UK gross margin in the first quarter was 58.3%, which compares to 4
ASX
Markets: Wall Street tech rally to lift ASX 200
Strength in technology stocks in the United States overnight has given investors the confidence to slightly mark up share prices in Australia on Wednesday as the market waits for crucial inflation data. The S&P/ASX 200 index is expected to start about 0.1% higher than the previous close and, in doing so, regain some of the losses suffered on Tuesday when it opens at 10:00 am AEDT (11:00 pm Tuesday GMT). The December share price index contract was quoted 11 points over the prior settlement at 9,041 points, at the time of writing. The three main stock indices in New York achieved record closing levels on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) due to strength in companies leveraged to the artificial intelligence (AI) capital investment (capex) boom, hopes of a United States-China trade breakthrough and expectations of an interest rate cut. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3%, the S&P 500 rose 0.2% and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.8% in a week in which some of the so-called ‘Magnificent Seven’ tech companies are due to hand down their latest quarterly results. "With five of the Mag Seven reporting this week, what the market expects to hear is confirmation that all this AI capex is coming through, that the revenues and profi