Australia Stocks Poised for First Weekly Pullback in 3 Weeks

2026-08-14 00:52 By Farida Husna 1 min. read

Australian shares dipped 67 points or 0.7% to 9,120 on Friday morning, down for the third session to hit their lowest in over a week.

The tug of war between the U.S.

and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz continued to weigh on sentiment, with US Treasury Secretary Bessent warning of unprecedented measures against Iran, promising “economic isolation like the world has never seen”.

Locally, caution grew ahead of Q2 home loan data after the prior reading showed a 4.3% drop qoq, highlighting the impact of elevated interest rates.

Meanwhile, July labor market data will be released next week following a steady jobless rate in June.

Most sectors fell, led by tech, non-energy minerals, industries, and transport.

Heavyweight BHP Group and Evolution Mining dipped 3.3%, respectively, while Northern Star Resources dropped 2.7%.

QBE Insurance plunged 5.1% following a modest rise in H1 profits.

For the week, markets are set to post their first weekly drop in three weeks, retreating around 1.5% so far.



News Stream
ASX 200 Slides 1.6% Over Week
The ASX 200 slipped 73 points, or 0.8%, to close at 9,115 on Friday, marking its third straight retreat and lowest finish in over a week. Sentiment weakened as U.S. futures fell after President Trump imposed fresh tariffs on drone imports, with analysts pointing to China as the main target. Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Bessent Thursday warned of unprecedented measures against Iran, promising “economic isolation like the world has never seen. Locally, Q2 housing lending in Australia dropped to a three-quarter low, though the pace of decline eased from the prior period. Attention now turns to July labor data due next week, following June’s steady jobless rate. Heavy losses hit transport, industrials, healthcare, and non-energy minerals. BHP and Rio Tinto shed 3.4% and 2.9%, while three of the four major banks also pulled back. Gold miners lagged, with Evolution Mining down 4.0% and Northern Star off 3.2%. For the week, the market fell 1.6%, erasing gains from the prior three weeks.
2026-08-14
Australia Stocks Poised for First Weekly Pullback in 3 Weeks
Australian shares dipped 67 points or 0.7% to 9,120 on Friday morning, down for the third session to hit their lowest in over a week. The tug of war between the U.S. and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz continued to weigh on sentiment, with US Treasury Secretary Bessent warning of unprecedented measures against Iran, promising “economic isolation like the world has never seen”. Locally, caution grew ahead of Q2 home loan data after the prior reading showed a 4.3% drop qoq, highlighting the impact of elevated interest rates. Meanwhile, July labor market data will be released next week following a steady jobless rate in June. Most sectors fell, led by tech, non-energy minerals, industries, and transport. Heavyweight BHP Group and Evolution Mining dipped 3.3%, respectively, while Northern Star Resources dropped 2.7%. QBE Insurance plunged 5.1% following a modest rise in H1 profits. For the week, markets are set to post their first weekly drop in three weeks, retreating around 1.5% so far.
2026-08-14
ASX 200 Down 0.2% at Close
The ASX 200 fell 21 points, or 0.2%, to end at 9,188 on Thursday, marking a second day of weakness amid notable drags mainly from communications, logistics, and manufacturing. Restrictive monetary policy in Australia kept sentiment cautious, with Reserve Bank's Assistant Governor Chris Kent stressing tight settings are needed to rein in inflation. In top trading partner China, policymakers signaled no broad easing and warned that history shows aggressive stimulus often precedes sharper shocks, adding to the bearish mood. Insurance Australia Group slumped 5.1% on weaker cash earnings, hit by lower investment income and rising claims from severe weather. Commonwealth Bank lost 2.2%, though ANZ rose 4.5% after a modest profit lift. Miners were broadly lower, with Rio Tinto down 3.6% and South32 off 0.6%. In contrast, ASX Ltd surged 9% after reporting a more than 5% rise in annual underlying profit, buoyed by heightened global volatility that boosted trading and post-trade activity.
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