ASX 200 Under Pressure at Close

2026-05-28 06:36 By Farida Husna 1 min. read

The ASX 200 tumbled 125 points or 1.4% to end at 8,593 on Thursday, reversing strength in the prior session and marking a one-week low.

Sentiment was hit by fresh data showing Australia's household spending fell for the first time in four months in April, highlighting the impact of the RBA’s three interest rate hikes since the start of 2026.

Meanwhile, U.S.

stock futures moved lower, as news of a fresh US military strike in Iran challenged investor optimism on a near-term peace deal.

Still, a solid rebound in Q1 capital expenditure helped limit losses, mainly lifted by stronger spending on plant machinery.

In addition, softer-than-expected April inflation eased concerns that the RBA could maintain a tightening bias.

Losses were broadly spread, led by falls in mining, consumer, financial, and healthcare stocks.

The four major banks dropped between 1.4% and 2.2%.

Other notable laggards included BHP Group (-1.3%), Northern Star Resources (-7.4%), and Evolution Mining (-7.3%).



News Stream
ASX 200 Under Pressure at Close
The ASX 200 tumbled 125 points or 1.4% to end at 8,593 on Thursday, reversing strength in the prior session and marking a one-week low. Sentiment was hit by fresh data showing Australia's household spending fell for the first time in four months in April, highlighting the impact of the RBA’s three interest rate hikes since the start of 2026. Meanwhile, U.S. stock futures moved lower, as news of a fresh US military strike in Iran challenged investor optimism on a near-term peace deal. Still, a solid rebound in Q1 capital expenditure helped limit losses, mainly lifted by stronger spending on plant machinery. In addition, softer-than-expected April inflation eased concerns that the RBA could maintain a tightening bias. Losses were broadly spread, led by falls in mining, consumer, financial, and healthcare stocks. The four major banks dropped between 1.4% and 2.2%. Other notable laggards included BHP Group (-1.3%), Northern Star Resources (-7.4%), and Evolution Mining (-7.3%).
2026-05-28
Australia Stocks Trade Notably Lower
Australian equities fell 75 points or 0.9% to 8,643 in early Thursday trade, erasing prior-session gains as investors weighed mixed signals from U.S.–Iran talks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted progress toward a deal, but President Donald Trump stressed unresolved issues remain. Domestic caution also grew ahead of key releases, including Q1 capital spending and April household spending later today, as well as private credit growth on Friday. Still, losses were cushioned by a softer-than-expected April inflation print, which tempered expectations for further rate hikes. At the same time, Q1 construction output proved resilient, climbing 3.4% — the fastest pace in three years. Sector breadth was weak, with declines across electronic tech, consumers, non-energy minerals, and financials. Among major decliners were Northern Star Resources (-3.5%), Brambles Ltd. (-3.1%), and Lynas Rare Earths (-2.6%). The four big banks slipped between 0.9% to 1.3%.
2026-05-28
ASX 200 Erases Earlier Losses
The ASX 200 rose 0.69% to close at 8,718 on Wednesday, reversing earlier losses and reaching its highest level in more than two weeks, as cooler-than-expected inflation data eased concerns about additional interest rate increases. The headline annual inflation rate ticked down to 4.2% in April from 4.6% previously, below market expectations of 4.4%. Meanwhile, the annual trimmed mean CPI, a key gauge of underlying inflation, matched expectations at 3.4% and reached its highest level since September 2024, while the weighted median CPI held steady at 3.5%. The latest inflation figures reinforced expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia could keep interest rates unchanged in June, while market pricing for an August rate hike fell to 33.7% from 45% prior to the data release. The financial sector edged up 0.1%, with Commonwealth Bank rising 0.31%. Other notable gainers included BHP Group (1.54%), Newmont Corporation (1.26%), Wesfarmers (1.41%), and Goodman Group (3.73%).
2026-05-27