The Australian sharemarket eased slightly on Friday but remained on course for a second straight weekly advance, closing just shy of record highs as investors navigated a heavy slate of corporate earnings and rising geopolitical tensions.
The S&P/ASX 200 slipped just 4.8 points or 0.05% to 9,081.4, with six of the 11 sectors finishing in negative territory.
Despite the marginal decline, the benchmark rose 1.8% over the week.
Investor sentiment was tempered by developments in the Middle East after United States President Donald Trump said he expects to decide on whether to take military action against Iran within the next 10 to 15 days.
Technology was the weakest-performing sector, mirroring renewed selling pressure on Wall Street overnight.
Shares in WiseTech Global fell 3.8%, Xero dipped 3.7%, while Megaport fell 11.8% following the release of its first-half FY26 results.
Energy stocks delivered a mixed performance even as crude oil rallied to its highest level since August in offshore trade.
Woodside Energy added 1.2%, Santos slipped 0.9%, and Beach Energy added 0.9%.
Among reporting companies, Guzman y Gomez plunged 13.9%, leading losses on the index after reporting softer-than-expected sales. The Mexican fast-food chain, however, reaffirmed it remained on track to meet its store opening targets for the year.
Insurance group QBE Insurance Group surged 7.1% after posting a 21% rise in full-year net profit to US$2.16 billion.
Inghams Group tumbled 13.5% after downgrading its full-year profit forecast to between A$180 million and $200 million, from a previous range of $215 million to $230 million. The company cited a sharp earnings decline driven by rising costs.
Shipbuilder Austal climbed 5.5% after securing a $4 billion contract to construct eight 100-metre landing craft heavy vessels for the Australian Defence Force under a strategic shipbuilding agreement.
Biotechnology firm Telix Pharmaceuticals jumped 14.2% despite reporting a net loss of US$5.4 million (A$7.7 million). The cancer diagnostics specialist flagged that revenue growth would moderate this year.
Meanwhile, Newmont fell 4.9% after the world’s largest gold producer said output was expected to decline by about 10% this year due to planned upgrades at several mines.
In fixed-income markets, Australian government bond yields moved lower. The 10-year yield fell 0.6% to 4.74%, while the 2-year yield declined 0.4% to 4.23%.
