Australian Shares Snap 2-Session Gain

2026-03-19 00:28 By Joshua Ferrer 1 min. read

The S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1.6% to around 8,500 in early Thursday deals, ending a two-session advance as a fresh spike in oil prices, triggered by attacks on Middle Eastern energy facilities, revived inflation concerns.

This reinforced the Reserve Bank of Australia’s hawkish stance, as it has repeatedly warned about persistent inflation risks and signaled uncertainty over whether policy is tight enough.

After the central bank delivered a back-to-back rate hike in a split decision, markets now await the upcoming jobs report for further clues on the policy outlook.

A sharp overnight selloff on Wall Street also weighed, where stronger US PPI data and the Fed’s higher inflation projections dampened bets for rate cuts.

Most sectors retreated, led by resource and technology stocks.

Among the heavyweights, miners BHP and Rio Tinto fell 2% to 3%, gold producer Northern Star plunged 8%, and software provider Wisetech Global dropped 4%.

Conversely, energy firms climbed amid a surge in oil prices.



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Australian Shares Snap 2-Session Gain
The S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1.6% to around 8,500 in early Thursday deals, ending a two-session advance as a fresh spike in oil prices, triggered by attacks on Middle Eastern energy facilities, revived inflation concerns. This reinforced the Reserve Bank of Australia’s hawkish stance, as it has repeatedly warned about persistent inflation risks and signaled uncertainty over whether policy is tight enough. After the central bank delivered a back-to-back rate hike in a split decision, markets now await the upcoming jobs report for further clues on the policy outlook. A sharp overnight selloff on Wall Street also weighed, where stronger US PPI data and the Fed’s higher inflation projections dampened bets for rate cuts. Most sectors retreated, led by resource and technology stocks. Among the heavyweights, miners BHP and Rio Tinto fell 2% to 3%, gold producer Northern Star plunged 8%, and software provider Wisetech Global dropped 4%. Conversely, energy firms climbed amid a surge in oil prices.
2026-03-19
Australian Stocks Finish Higher
The S&P/ASX 200 ended 0.3% higher at 8,644 on Wednesday, extending gains from the previous session as strength in tech and energy stocks lifted the market. The index struggled for direction earlier in the session, a day after the Reserve Bank of Australia delivered a back-to-back rate hike in a narrow call. The central bank flagged that the intensifying Middle East war poses a risk to inflation. However, this pushed the energy sector up 0.7% as oil prices climbed on renewed Iranian attacks on the UAE, fueling concerns over tightening global supply. Oil and gas producer Woodside Energy edged up after naming Liz Westcott as CEO and managing director, while Santos (0.8%) and Beach Energy (2.5%) also posted gains. Technology stocks added 1.6%, tracking their Wall Street peers, and the mining sub-index finished 0.4% up. Heavyweight miner BHP Group also jumped 0.7% after naming Brandon Craig, its Americas president, as CEO to succeed Mike Henry, while Rio Tinto gained 0.8%.
2026-03-18
Australian Shares Open Flat
The S&P/ASX 200 was largely unchanged to around 8,600 in Wednesday morning trade, halting gains from the prior session as the ongoing Middle East conflict and a narrow back-to-back rate hike by the RBA weighed on sentiment. The decision surprised markets with a tight 5–4 split vote, while Governor Bullock stressed that the debate was about timing rather than direction and warned inflation risks remain, reinforcing a hawkish outlook. Markets lifted bets on another hike in May, with further tightening still priced in by August. On the geopolitical front, Iranian state media confirmed the death of the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, while renewed strikes on the UAE energy infrastructure heightened concerns over prolonged supply disruptions. Rate-sensitive financials led the losses, with four of the largest banks down 0.1% to 2%. Meanwhile, the mining sector was flat, as gold miners fell 0.6%, while heavyweights BHP and Rio Tinto gained 0.5% and 0.2%, respectively.
2026-03-18