To The Moon

The Australian sharemarket finished marginally higher on Wednesday as broad gains led by the energy sector after oil hit a two-month high amid turmoil in Iran were offset by a sell-off in the major banks.The S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 12.10 points, or 1% to 8820.60, with eight of the 11 sectors higher.The nation’s four largest banks weighed on the benchmark index, as investors rotated out of financials as JPMorgan delivered weaker profit and revenue than analysts expected. Commonwealth Bank fell 1.3% to $152.88 after being down by as much as 2%, National Australia Bank slid 1.1% to $41.91, Westpac 0.6% to $38.28 and ANZ 0.3% to $36.38.Square payments platform and Afterpay owner, Block fell 3.4% to $100.70, as the sector faced pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has pledged to cap

The Australian sharemarket opened higher on Wednesday, buoyed by global oil prices rising to a two-month high after US President Donald Trump escalated his stance on Iran, urging continued demonstrations against the regime.The S&P/ASX 200 index added 23.60 points, or 0.3% to 8832.10 at 10.12am AEDT, with seven of the 11 sectors up.Energy was the strongest as Brent rose more than 2% to trade around $US65.4 per barrel as Trump’s move to cancel all dialogue with the Iranian regime and told demonstrators “help was on its way” fuelled fears of American intervention.“The situation in Iran has set off a rally in oil prices, which is having a slight impact on global yields and general market risk appetite. The simmering unrest in the country is raising the possibility of revolution and seizing

The Australian sharemarket notched its strongest gain in three weeks on Tuesday, driven by miners as geopolitical tensions and supply concerns sparked a rally in key metals prices.The S&P/ASX 200 Index was 0.6%, or by 49.10 points, to 8808.50, with four of the 11 sectors stronger. It was the best day for the bourse since it rose by 1.1% on December 23.Materials underpinned gains as the sector rose by more than 2% as copper rose above $US13,000 on the London Metal Exchange, aided by a weaker US dollar and concerns about a shortage of supply outside the world’s largest economy.“Copper is ripping because disproportionate amounts of it remain in US warehouses following the Trump tariff pre-empting surge last year. This has left ex-US copper inventories thin, and means any sudden uptick in

The Australian sharemarket opened higher on Tuesday, buoyed by a rally in metal prices as geopolitical turmoil and reports of a probe into Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell sent gold towards a record high.The S&P/ASX 200 index was up 0.3%, or by 24.8 points to 8784.20 at 10.10am AEDT, with five of the 11 sectors stronger.Materials jumped by more than 1% with spot gold ripping toward $US4600, as traders digested reports of a US Department of Justice probe involving Powell. “As we’ve seen before, when confidence in central bank independence is questioned, bullion tends to thrive,” Moomoo Australia dealing manager Jimmy Tran said.This saw Evolution Mining rose 0.7%, Northern Star 0.8% and Newmont by 0.4%. Copper also neared a record high aided by a weaker dollar and supply concerns.

The Australian sharemarket has risen as intensifying protests in Iran and growing pressure on the US Federal Reserve drew safe haven demand.The S&P/ASX index gained 41.6 points, or 0.5%, to 8759.4, with nine of 11 sectors rising, led by consumer discretionary, which jumped 2.1%.Gold miners underpinned the ASX advance as the precious metal neared $US4600 an ounce, supported by expectations for continued US interest-rate cuts and elevated geopolitical tensions from Iran.“The key drivers that pushed prices higher last year remain in place and may intensify,” said Justin Lin, investment analyst at Global X ETFs Australia.Ramelius jumped 6.3% to $4.39, with Newmont up 5.8% to $166.6, Northern Star 2.9% to $25.43, and Regis Resources 2.7% to $7.75. Meanwhile, the broader materials sector was

The Australian sharemarket climbed at the open, buoyed by a strong session on Wall Street and a jump in the oil price as Iran continued to crackdown on protests sweeping across the country.The S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 24.7 points, or 0.3%, to 8742.5 by 10:09am. Investors took their lead from Wall Street, with S&P 500 Index resetting a record after a benign US jobs report.On the ASX, energy stocks extended gains after Brent crude surged more than 5% on Thursday and Friday to over $US63 a barrel as the political unrest in Iran raised the possibility of supply disruptions in Iran.Woodside 1.6%, Santos 0.7% and Beach Energy 2.1%.The biggest gainer on the ASX was Light & Wonder, which soared 20% at the open of trading. Light & Wonder will pay Aristocrat $US127.5 million after sett

The XJO finished down 0.4% lower this week. In terms of individual stocks, $WASHINGTON H. SOUL PATTINSON(SOL.AU)$, $WOODSIDE ENERGY GROUP LTD(WDS.AU)$ and $QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED(QAN.AU)$ up 2%; $NORTHERN STAR RESOURCES LTD(NST.AU)$ down 10%.Soul Pattinson Ceases to Be Substantial Holder in Peninsula EnergyPeninsula Energy ( (AU:PEN) ) has issued an announcement.Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited and its subsidiaries have notified Peninsula Energy that they have ceased to be a substantial holder in the company as of 29 December 2025, following changes in relevant interests in Peninsula’s voting secu

The Australian sharemarket rose on Friday, in line with Wall Street, on revived expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates further.The S&P/ASX 200 index closed 0.5% higher, or 40 points, to 8628.2, with eight of 11 sectors in positive territory. For the week, the benchmark fell 0.8%, snapping a three-week winning streak. The index was on track to post a 5.8% annual rise, well below the double-digit gains of the US and European indices.Investor sentiment was supported after American core consumer prices rose by less than expected, though economists warned that the data was distorted lower by the US government shutdown.Markets are now pricing about a 25% chance of a January rate reduction by the Fed and a near-certain move by April.On the ASX, technology led gains w

The Australian sharemarket opened higher on Friday, following Wall Street gains, after fresh inflation data revived hopes of a January interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve.The S&P/ASX 200 index was up 0.5%, or 41.70 points, to 8629.90 at 10.10am AEDT, with nine of the 11 sectors in positive territory. For the week, the benchmark is on track to fall 0.8%.Investor sentiment was supported after core consumer prices rose 2.6% year-on-year in November, while the overall CPI increased 2.7% over the same period. ANZ reports that markets are now pricing about a 25% chance of a January reduction and a near-certain move by April.“November’s inflation undershoot has armed Fed doves with strong ammunition for a January rate cut,” Principal Asset Management’s Seema Shah said in a note. “It’s

The Australian sharemarket edged into positive territory on Thursday following a late afternoon rally in technology stocks, though caution persisted amid a sell-off in the energy sector and lingering fears of an artificial intelligence bubble.The S&P/ASX 200 index inched up 3 points to 8588.2, snapping three sessions of losses. Even so, the local bourse has shed 1.3% since Monday.Out of the 11 sectors, four closed in the red.The technology sector rebounded in the final minutes of trading from a Nasdaq-inspired sell-off sparked by reports that Blue Owl would not back a US$10bn ($15 billion) deal to build a data centre in Michigan with the tech giant Oracle.The news still weighed on many local tech stocks, with NextDC falling 4.4% to $12.14 and Megaport down 1.8% to $12.13. Beaten-down f