Australian Shares Hit All-Time High

2026-02-25 05:57 By Czyrill Jean Coloma 1 min. read

The S&P/ASX 200 climbed 1.2% to close at 9,128 on Wednesday, reaching an all-time high, as strong gains in mining stocks led the advance.

Fortescue Metals surged 4.5% after reporting first-half revenue of $8.439 billion, up 10.5% from $7.638 billion a year earlier.

The upbeat results lifted sentiment across the sector, with BHP Group climbing 2.8% and Rio Tinto adding 2.4%.

Other gainers included National Australia Bank (1.2%), Woodside Energy Group (1.2%), and Block (1.9%).

Meanwhile, investors weighed the hotter-than-expected inflation data, which reinforced expectations of further interest rate hikes this year.

Australia’s annual inflation rate stood at 3.8%, slightly above market expectations of 3.7%, while the RBA’s trimmed mean CPI YoY edged up to 3.4%, compared with both forecasts and December’s 3.3% reading.

Markets are now pricing in another rate increase in May, which could lift the cash rate to 4.1%, with roughly a 60% probability of an additional hike in November.



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Australian Shares Hit All-Time High
The S&P/ASX 200 climbed 1.2% to close at 9,128 on Wednesday, reaching an all-time high, as strong gains in mining stocks led the advance. Fortescue Metals surged 4.5% after reporting first-half revenue of $8.439 billion, up 10.5% from $7.638 billion a year earlier. The upbeat results lifted sentiment across the sector, with BHP Group climbing 2.8% and Rio Tinto adding 2.4%. Other gainers included National Australia Bank (1.2%), Woodside Energy Group (1.2%), and Block (1.9%). Meanwhile, investors weighed the hotter-than-expected inflation data, which reinforced expectations of further interest rate hikes this year. Australia’s annual inflation rate stood at 3.8%, slightly above market expectations of 3.7%, while the RBA’s trimmed mean CPI YoY edged up to 3.4%, compared with both forecasts and December’s 3.3% reading. Markets are now pricing in another rate increase in May, which could lift the cash rate to 4.1%, with roughly a 60% probability of an additional hike in November.
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