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ASX posts third straight weekly gain; miners rally
The Australian sharemarket finished firmly higher on Friday, supported by strong gains across the mining sector and renewed optimism from Wall Street as United States indices hit fresh record highs following the Federal Reserve’s latest interest rate cut. The rally helped the local bourse secure its third consecutive weekly advance - its longest winning streak since August. The S&P/ASX 200 rose 105.3 points, or 1.2%, to 8,697.3, with eight of 11 sectors closing in positive territory. For the week, the benchmark added 0.7%. Materials led Friday’s gains after a sharp jump in precious metals. Gold lifted 1.2% to 7-week highs overnight, boosting major ASX-listed producers. Newmont climbed 5.7%, Northern Star advanced 2.9%, and Evolution Mining gained 4.2%. Broader mining names also strengthened, with BHP and Fortescue up 1.1% apiece, while Rio Tinto gained 2.5%. Silver prices also continued their rapid ascent, rising 2.9% to US$63.41 per ounce. Local silver producers followed suit, with Unico Silver surging 13.5%, Silver Mines up 5.1% and Sun Silver lifting 2.7%. The major banks added momentum to the index. National Australia Bank gained 1.8%, Westpac lifted 1.4%, Commonwealth Bank rose 2.1%, and ANZ added 1.2%
ASX
Trading floor: HRE, Nickel Industries lift; Austal sinks
Azzet reports on three stocks with price moving updates today. Heavy Rare Earths leaps on promising assay results at Radium Hill ~ Shares in Heavy Rare Earths (ASX: HRE) were up 22.2% by 2:10 pm AEDT (3:10 am GMT) after the uranium and rare earth explorer/developer announced promising assay results from their recent reconnaissance rock chip sampling program at Radium Hill - located near Olary in eastern South Australia - revealing high-grade scandium, yttrium, and uranium. While the assayed uranium grades were strong as expected, the consistent presence of high-grade Scandium (up to 969ppm Sc2O3) and Yttrium (up to 2236ppm Y2O3) close to the historic mine and up to 5km from the mine, further positions the miner as a key player in the critical minerals sector. Rock samples were collected across the 8km-long linear SW to NE extension from the historic Radium Hill mine and assessed with a multi-element analysis. Commenting on today’s update, chair Gabriel Chiappini told the market that reinterpretation of aerial geophysical data, collected by HRE in 1H 2025, coupled with intense investigation of historical data, is refining the miner’s knowledge of an 8-kilometre structural corridor, enriched in a suite of critical minera
ASX
ASX to open higher, but tech stocks could slip further
The ASX 200 is set to open higher after stable employment figures and a Dow Jones record high, though technology stocks could slip further following a dip in the Nasdaq. ASX 200 futures were up 1.1% to 8,682. The ASX 200 closed at 8,592.0 yesterday. Australia’s unemployment rate was steady at 4.3%, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said yesterday. Underemployment rose from 5.7% to 6.2%. “The unemployment rate has remained at 4.3 per cent in five of the last six months. Both the number of unemployed and employed people fell in November, by 2,000 and by 21,000 respectively,” said ABS head of labour statistics Sean Crick. Meanwhile, the ASX’s technology index closed at 3,425.90 yesterday after dropping 1.41%. The Nasdaq Composite closed 0.3% lower, dented by weaker-than-expected earnings from Oracle that sent its shares down by 10.8%. Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) said its annual spending would be $15 billion higher than it had previously projected, and sales growth fell short of estimates. Nvidia’s (NASDAQ: NVDA) shares also decreased by 1.6% after Oracle’s earnings miss as investors exited artificial intelligence stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1.3%, supported by both yesterday’s 0.25% rate cut fr
ASX
ASX 200 edges higher as miners lift market
The Australian sharemarket closed marginally higher on Thursday, supported by a rebound in mining stocks after the United States Federal Reserve delivered a widely expected rate cut that buoyed precious metals overnight. The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 12.6 points or 0.2% to 8,592.0, even as six of the 11 major sectors finished lower. Materials stocks led the advance, with gold and silver miners again in focus - Evolution Mining added 0.8% and Newmont gained 2.1%, while Unico Silver gained 2.2%, Andean Silver rallied 5.5%, and Sun Silver Star added 7.7%. Major diversified miners also contributed to the market’s strength, with Rio Tinto up 1.8%, BHP gaining 1.3% and Fortescue Metals advancing 0.4%. Technology shares weighed on the broader index. Risk appetite faded after Oracle tumbled in U.S. trade, driven by weaker-than-expected second-quarter revenue. Local tech names followed suit, with Xero down 1.3%, WiseTech Global and Life360 falling 2.2% apiece, and TechnologyOne declining 1.4%. Megaport also fell 3.1% after completing its non-underwritten share purchase plan, raising approximately $18.2 million at $13.06 per share. Financial stocks ended mostly higher. NAB, Westpac and ANZ posted gains of 1%, 1.3% and 0.4%
ASX
Trading floor: Flight Centre, Marmota, Myer rise
Azzet reports on three stocks with price moving updates today. Flight Centre rallies on UK cruise acquisition ~ Shares in Flight Centre (ASX: FLT) were trading 5.9% higher by 1:40 pm AEDT (2:40 am GMT) – marking its best trading day in nine months - after the travel group updated the market on its £122 million (A$254 million) acquisition of high-margin UK online cruise agency Iglu. The transaction includes £100 million upfront and up to £27 million in performance-based earnouts and is expected to be earnings per share accretive in FY26. To reflect Iglu‘s expected contribution, Flight Centre also upgraded FY26 underlying profit before tax guidance 3% to $315 million–$350 million. With plans to integrate Iglu’s digital platform across Flight Centre’s leisure brands - enhancing its omni-channel cruise offering in the UK and into other markets – annualised cruise-related total transaction value (TTV) is now expected to surpass $2 billion during FY26, two years ahead of plan. Supported by a rounded cruise network covering online, offline and wholesale channels, the group also has a TTV stretch target in place of $3 billion for FY28. Commenting on today’s update, Flight Centre managing director Graham (Screw) T

ASX
ASX to open higher as Wall St gains from rate cut
The ASX is set to open higher, buoyed by gains on Wall Street after the U.S. Federal Reserve agreed to cut interest rates. ASX futures were up 0.9% to 8,658.00. The ASX 200 closed at 8,579.40 yesterday, down 0.1%. The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ labour force data will be released at 12:30 pm AEDT. Around 26,000 jobs were added in November, with wages up 3.2% annually, according to a separate report by Commonwealth Bank this week. “While wages growth has still eased over the past year, the slight tick up in November is worth watching, especially when combined with recent higher-than-expected inflation prints and Q3 25 GDP data showing the Australian economy has reached its speed limit. If wages continue to strengthen, the risk of rate hikes in 2026 will rise,” said Commonwealth Bank’s head of Australian economics Belinda Allen. In the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 1% higher, the S&P 500 was up 0.7%, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.3%, The Fed announced it would cut rates by 0.25% today, following cuts in September and October. Three policymakers on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted against the 0.25% cut, the largest dissent since 2019. Although U.S. economic data last week showe
ASX
ASX 200 flat; gold and silver miners up, tech weighs
The Australian sharemarket closed flat on Wednesday as investors weighed the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to hold rates steady yesterday, and looked ahead to a widely expected interest rate cut from the United States Federal Reserve. The S&P/ASX 200 slipped 6.5 points or 0.1% to finish at 8,579.4, with nine of the 11 major sectors ending in the red. Technology stocks were the day’s biggest drag, with TechnologyOne down 1.3%, WiseTech Global falling 1.9% and Xero declining 2.1%. Materials stocks helped cushion the broader market’s losses, supported by strong gains among gold and silver producers. Northern Star climbed 5.1%, Evolution Mining lifted 4.5%, and Newmont rose 3.9%. Ramelius Resources also surged 5.9% after announcing a share buyback program of up to $250 million and lifting its minimum dividend to 2 cents per share per year. Silver miners also rallied, with Silver Mines up 7.9%, and Sun Silver advancing 5.8% as silver prices broke above US$60 an ounce for the first time. In corporate news, 4DMedical jumped 6% after confirming the University of Miami has begun clinical use of its CT:VQ respiratory imaging technology, becoming the second major U.S. academic medical centre after Stanford to adopt t
ASX
Trading floor: Ramelius, Trigg, 4DMedical move higher
Azzet reports on three stocks with price moving updates today. Ramelius Resources soars on buyback and plans to lift dividend ~ Shares in Ramelius Resources (ASX: RMS) were trading 6.7% higher by 1:30 pm AEDT (2:30 am GMT) after the gold miner announced up to A$250 million in share buybacks and increased its minimum dividend to 2 cents per share per year, as part of its FY26–FY27 capital allocation strategy. Management announced an on-market share buy-back of up to 73.96 million shares from a total of 1.92 billion outstanding, set to commence on 24 December 2025 and conclude by June 2027. As well as signalling management's confidence in the company's future, a share buyback tends to enhance shareholder returns primarily by reducing the number of outstanding shares, which increases each remaining share's proportional ownership of the company's earnings and assets. The initiatives aim to enhance capital management and shareholder returns, allowing flexible repurchases at market prices - without needing security holder approval - while continuing to reinvest in the business and uphold a robust balance sheet. Commenting on today’s update, Ramelius managing director Mark Zeptner told the market that the company’s capital
ASX
ASX 200 to open higher after RBA holds rates steady
The Australian sharemarket is set to open higher on Wednesday after the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to hold rates steady, despite Wall Street’s mixed performance ahead of the Federal Reserve’s rates verdict tomorrow. ASX futures were up 0.2% to 8,603.6. The ASX 200 closed 0.5% lower at 8,585.9 yesterday. The RBA unanimously agreed to keep cash rates at 3.6% yesterday afternoon, in line with analysts’ expectations. According to RBA Governor Michele Bullock, the central bank did not consider a rate cut at yesterday’s meeting, and does not expect to cut rates for the foreseeable future. The RBA is prepared to consider a rate hike next year, she said. “If inflation continues to be persistent and looks like it is not coming back down towards the Board's target, then I think that does raise questions about how tight financial conditions are, and the Board might have to consider whether or not it's appropriate to keep interest rates where they are or in fact at some point raise them.” In the United States, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 0.4% lower, and the S&P 500 was down 0.1%. The Nasdaq Composite was up 0.1%. The Federal Reserve’s final meeting of 2025 is underway, with a decision due at 6 am AEDT o