The ASX 200 slipped 0.6% last week despite stellar gains by the healthcare (+9.2%) and materials (+5.6%) sectors, as the “Big Four Banks” continued to weigh heavily on the local index. We're three weeks into August and reporting season is going “ok”, but the polarisation between the miners and banks remains entrenched: the miners are rallying with strength in copper and gold while the banks are struggling, being hit with the trifecta of a crunch in housing activity, net interest margin compression, and rising risks of bad debts - as Led Zeppelin famously sang in the 70’s “The Song Remains the Same.”
The ASX 200 fell 1.6% last week, testing 9100 on Friday after threatening to break above 9300 on Tuesday. While the early read from local earnings seasons failed to match their US peers, it was the influential banks and miners that combined to drag the index lower - for the week, heavyweights CBA (-6.1%), Westpac (-6.8%), BHP Group (-2.6%), and RIO Tinto (-5.7%) all weighed on the local bourse.
The ASX 200 finished a strong week up +3.2%, posting new highs on three of the five sessions. August is only one full week old, and the local market has already surged towards 9300 with no end in sight as the miners continue to drive the index higher. Monday is set to deliver a repeat performance as a soft US jobs report dulled the prospects of Fed rate hikes, pushing the miners and, in particular, gold names substantially higher after the precious metal surged over US$100.
The ASX 200 finished a volatile week up +2.3%, reaching a four-month high on Wednesday after softer-than-expected inflation data reduced fears of higher interest rates. The ASX shrugged off a sharp pullback earlier in the week by the “AI Trade” and a 1150-point drop by the Dow on Wednesday night after hawkish comments from Fed Chair Warsh - as we’ve been saying through July, the local market is slowly starting to get its “Mojo” back as we head into reporting season.
The ASX 200 finished a choppy week down just -0.3%, with the US-Iran conflict and a strong employment report pushing up bond yields, weighing on local risk assets. A Wall Street-led technology sell-off, driven by renewed concerns over the returns on AI capital expenditure, spilled over to the ASX, sending the local technology sector down 6.6% for the week. Healthcare also came under pressure, falling 5.7%, while strength in energy (+5.9%) and materials (+1.7%) helped limit the broader market's losses.
The ASX 200 finished a volatile week virtually unchanged, holding the key 8,800 level despite escalating US-Iran tensions and a near-20% plunge in semiconductor stocks. The broader tone turned “risk-off” late in the week, with the miners the main weight on the index on a combination of renewed fighting around the Strait of Hormuz and disappointing trading updates from the likes of BHP Group (ASX: BHP) and Evolution Mining (ASX: EVN).
The ASX 200 finished a soft week on a positive note as miners rebounded strongly on Friday, although the Materials sector still ended the week as the worst performer, down -4.4%. Fresh fighting between the US and Iran combined with a sharp unwind of the AI Trade to weigh on the miners and risk sentiment in general. Encouragingly, improving market breadth helped cushion the downside, with each of the past three sessions following a similar pattern: early weakness attracted bargain hunters, allowing the market to recover and close near its highs.
The ASX200 ended the week down -0.7%, leaving the index a mere +0.4%, after promising so much in the middle of last week. The main drag on the index was again the miners, despite a bounce on Friday, with heavyweights RIO (-2%), BHP Group (-2%), and Mineral Resources (-12%), offsetting a recovery in the rate-sensitive retail, healthcare, and real estate sectors. We’re now six months into 2026, and the index is up less than 1%, despite strong moves in both directions.
After a strong start to the week, which saw the ASX200 rally back towards the 9,000 level, the local market reversed sharply on Thursday and Friday, trimming gains to finish the week up just +0.3%. The damage was done by the combination of hawkish commentary from the Fed's new Chair, Kevin Warsh, and a more than 5% plunge by heavyweight BHP Group (ASX: BHP) on Friday after its Canadian Potash Project saw costs blow out by US$2.3bn.
The ASX 200 fell 1.6% last week, testing 9100 on Friday after threatening to break above 9300 on Tuesday. While the early read from local earnings seasons failed to match their US peers, it was the influential banks and miners that combined to drag the index lower - for the week, heavyweights CBA (-6.1%), Westpac (-6.8%), BHP Group (-2.6%), and RIO Tinto (-5.7%) all weighed on the local bourse.
The ASX 200 finished a strong week up +3.2%, posting new highs on three of the five sessions. August is only one full week old, and the local market has already surged towards 9300 with no end in sight as the miners continue to drive the index higher. Monday is set to deliver a repeat performance as a soft US jobs report dulled the prospects of Fed rate hikes, pushing the miners and, in particular, gold names substantially higher after the precious metal surged over US$100.
The ASX 200 finished a volatile week up +2.3%, reaching a four-month high on Wednesday after softer-than-expected inflation data reduced fears of higher interest rates. The ASX shrugged off a sharp pullback earlier in the week by the “AI Trade” and a 1150-point drop by the Dow on Wednesday night after hawkish comments from Fed Chair Warsh - as we’ve been saying through July, the local market is slowly starting to get its “Mojo” back as we head into reporting season.
The ASX 200 finished a choppy week down just -0.3%, with the US-Iran conflict and a strong employment report pushing up bond yields, weighing on local risk assets. A Wall Street-led technology sell-off, driven by renewed concerns over the returns on AI capital expenditure, spilled over to the ASX, sending the local technology sector down 6.6% for the week. Healthcare also came under pressure, falling 5.7%, while strength in energy (+5.9%) and materials (+1.7%) helped limit the broader market's losses.
The ASX 200 finished a volatile week virtually unchanged, holding the key 8,800 level despite escalating US-Iran tensions and a near-20% plunge in semiconductor stocks. The broader tone turned “risk-off” late in the week, with the miners the main weight on the index on a combination of renewed fighting around the Strait of Hormuz and disappointing trading updates from the likes of BHP Group (ASX: BHP) and Evolution Mining (ASX: EVN).
The ASX 200 finished a soft week on a positive note as miners rebounded strongly on Friday, although the Materials sector still ended the week as the worst performer, down -4.4%. Fresh fighting between the US and Iran combined with a sharp unwind of the AI Trade to weigh on the miners and risk sentiment in general. Encouragingly, improving market breadth helped cushion the downside, with each of the past three sessions following a similar pattern: early weakness attracted bargain hunters, allowing the market to recover and close near its highs.
The ASX200 ended the week down -0.7%, leaving the index a mere +0.4%, after promising so much in the middle of last week. The main drag on the index was again the miners, despite a bounce on Friday, with heavyweights RIO (-2%), BHP Group (-2%), and Mineral Resources (-12%), offsetting a recovery in the rate-sensitive retail, healthcare, and real estate sectors. We’re now six months into 2026, and the index is up less than 1%, despite strong moves in both directions.
After a strong start to the week, which saw the ASX200 rally back towards the 9,000 level, the local market reversed sharply on Thursday and Friday, trimming gains to finish the week up just +0.3%. The damage was done by the combination of hawkish commentary from the Fed's new Chair, Kevin Warsh, and a more than 5% plunge by heavyweight BHP Group (ASX: BHP) on Friday after its Canadian Potash Project saw costs blow out by US$2.3bn.
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