The Australian sharemarket retreated on Tuesday, pulling back from a record close in the previous session as investors weighed a fresh round of corporate earnings.
The S&P/ASX 200 index slipped 63.1 points or 0.7% to 8,896.2, with five of the 11 sectors ending in negative territory.
The Healthcare sector led declines, with CSL tumbling 16.9% in its biggest one-day fall on record. The plasma giant said it would cut about 15% of its workforce globally after reporting revenue that missed expectations.
Energy shares also dragged on the benchmark. Santos fell 2.6% after cautioning that its binding agreement with Abu Dhabi investors was unlikely to be finalised before the current deadline.
Woodside retreated 2.8% after posting a 24% drop in first-half core profit, citing lower prices and other adjustments.
Mining heavyweight BHP provided a counterweight, rising 1.6%. The company reported a 26% slide in earnings and slashed its dividend to the smallest in eight years, but spending cuts buoyed investor sentiment.
Financials traded mostly higher. National Australia Bank gained 0.8% following its trading update on Monday, Commonwealth Bank advanced 0.5%, ANZ gained 0.6%, and Westpac added 0.7%.
Among individual movers, Seek was the standout performer, rallying 8% after posting revenue growth despite fewer job ads.
Meanwhile, HMC Capital sank 6.6% after warning that it expects pre-tax earnings of at least 40 cents per share this year, down from 56 cents per share in FY25.
On the bond markets, the 10-year rate rose 0.4% to 4.323%, while the 2-year note was flat at 3.362%.
