Market wrap: ASX falls as Wall Street reacts to spending concerns
Australia's sharemarket slipped on Thursday after a strong recent run, as concerns over US fiscal policy rattled investors.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 dropped 38.10 points, or 0.45 per cent, to 8,348.70, giving back some of the gains that had lifted the index to a fresh 50-day high earlier in the week.
The broader All Ordinaries index remains 3.09 per cent off its 52-week high, though it is still up 0.62 per cent over the past five days.
Ten of the 11 sectors ended the day in the red, with materials the only one to go up, rising 0.60 per cent.
Financials shed 1.06 per cent, while healthcare and real estate posted losses of 0.32 per cent and 0.78 per cent, respectively.
Buy-now-pay-later firm Zip Co posted one of the day's biggest losses, which slid 6.50 per cent to $1.87 followed by Nufarm Limited, tumbling 6.41 per cent to $2.63.
Other notable declines included Paladin Energy (down 4.92 per cent), Healius (down 4.33 per cent), and Polynovo, which fell 4.03 per cent.
Three of the major banks finished lower, with Commonwealth Bank the weakest performer, down 1.29 per cent to $172.72. NAB slipped 0.72 per cent to $37.37, Westpac lost 0.67 per cent to $31.36, and ANZ was unchanged at $28.85.
The Australian dollar edged higher to US 64c.
Strong performers included Spartan Resources (up 5.29 per cent) and West African Resources (up 5.22 per cent).
According to Capital.com senior financial market analyst Kyle Rodda, the sharp market movement may be linked to ongoing debates in Congress over the proposed US tax bill.
He said the ASX mirrored overnight weakness on Wall Street, which has also been responding to the same concerns.
'The reason for that is that the markets are concerned that all this extra spending is going to be quite inflationary and lead to much higher interest rates,' Mr Rodda said.
'A lot of this is narrative driven – trade narrative.'
According to Mr Rodda, investors may now be pricing in the possible consequences of the proposed tax legislation.
He said momentum had already started to slow over the past few days as recent trade deals began to cool investor enthusiasm, and the tax bill has now shifted the market's tone toward 'greater caution.'
Despite the dip, gold stocks were one of the few strong performers, lifted by rising gold prices as cautious investors looked for safer options.
Among the top performers were Lynas Rare Earths, up 6.97 per cent, Genesis Minerals, which added 5.78 per cent, and Northern Star Resources, up 5.36 per cent, alongside strong gains across several gold and resource stocks.
'Gold is one of the shining lights at the moment just on the basis that gold prices are moving back into those record highs,' Mr Rodda said.
He noted that US trade policy had influenced the precious metal's rise, with some investors now viewing gold as a 'safe haven'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
27 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘It's not true': Winx owner Debbie Kepitis shoots down Crown Lodge rumours amid Godolphin restructure
Godolphin Australia supremo Andy Makiv has revealed there are 'interested parties' wanting to secure some of their training and stabling facilities as the racing and breeding giant restructures its business in the wake of trainer James Cummings' departure to Hong Kong. There has been ongoing speculation about whether Godolphin would retain and continue to operate all three of their state-of-the-art stable complexes, Crown Lodge at Warwick Farm, Osborne Park near Agnes Banks and Carbine Lodge at Flemington. Racing's rumour mill was in overdrive on Wednesday and there was even a suggestion leading Sydney racing identity Debbie Kepitis of Winx fame wanted to buy Crown Lodge, which were built by her father Bob Ingham and his brother Jack in 1988 before they sold the stables to Godolphin in 2007. 'I've had a few phone calls about this but I can tell you it's not true,'' Mrs Kepitis told News Corp. 'This is not something we are going to do.'' But Makiv confirmed there has been interest from 'various parties' looking to acquire the Godolphin training facilities. 'There has been plenty of interest in those (three) properties,'' Makiv said. 'We will work out in time how to deal with them. They are great assets and there is interest from those parties looking to purchase or lease them. These are decisions we are still working through.'' The Crown Lodge stables and the Agnes Banks training facility were among the best of their kind and it is hoped they will not be lost to Sydney racing. CUMMINGS' SHOCK HONG KONG SWITCH Trainer @JamesCummings88 will withdraw his application for the famous Leilani Lodge stables at Royal Randwick after accepting an offer to train at @HKJC_Racing. Story: @RayThomas_1 ðŸ'‡ — Racenet (@RacenetTweets) June 10, 2025 • 'We're all devastated': Super stallion Snitzel dies Cummings' announcement on Wednesday that he wouldn't continue to train this year after his current tenure with Godolphin expires on July 31 poses challenges for Makiv and his management team as they prepare to spread their racehorses between a number of stables. But Makiv said Godolphin has already begun the process of recruiting trainers for next season. 'At the end of the day we are moving away from the employed in-house trainer,'' Makiv said. 'We were happy to support James going forward, he was going to get a number of the horses. 'But there is also going to be a number of other trainers that would be training a lot of the horses as well. In terms of our operation, it (Cummings leaving) won't impact on us too dramatically.'' Cummings was going to prepare Godolphin's Group 1 stars Tom Kitten and Zardozi and boom rising three-year-old filly Tempted for their spring carnival campaigns but Makiv said it was still to be determined who would be training that talented trio in the new season. WHAT A RACE! â�ï¸� Tom Kitten defeats Mr Brightside in a thrilling edition of All-Star Mile 7 😰 @godolphin @BMelham â€' (@Racing) March 8, 2025 'We are working through who our trainers will be and how it will look in the new season,'' Makiv said. 'We have little bit of time and there is plenty of well-credentialed trainers in Sydney and Melbourne to fill the void.'' Makiv said Godolphin enjoyed a very successful period with Cummings as trainer they could add to their Group 1 record with Golden Mile (Stradbroke Handicap) and Zebra Finch (JJ Atkins) at Eagle Farm on Saturday. 'We are delighted for James, Monica and their family, this is a great opportunity for him,'' Makiv said. 'Clearly, it (Hong Kong) is a wonderful jurisdiction to be involved in and for James, it is a feather in his cap. We congratulate him.''
ABC News
31 minutes ago
- ABC News
Tasmanian election called for July 19, but both Liberals and Labor hamstrung on key issues
After a nail-biting few days of "will they, won't they, could they, should they," Tasmania's very, very early election is full-steam ahead. Except this one can't exactly be full steam, can it? After all, it's an election that nobody wanted brought on for a variety of reasons, including the dire state of Tasmania's budget situation. That was one of the reasons for Labor's successful no-confidence motion in Premier Jeremy Rockliff. Imagine making that a sticking point and then throwing cash at a bunch of bowls clubs (they're always on the funding list). If the major parties want to look like they're serious about getting Tasmania's finances back on track, they are going to need to avoid any form of pork barrelling. No matter how tempting. The Liberals have been accused of it the past three elections. Their response is to deny it's happening and insist they're simply listening to the community. Labor also made promises to sports clubs last election, but the plan was to have government departments "rigorously" assess them all before the funds were handed out. On top of that, Labor has said it wants to ban pork barrelling as part of its plan to fix the budget, it would be rather hypocritical to engage in it itself. But it's not just pork barrelling that arguably needs to go. Even a competitive sports grants process, which would otherwise be welcomed, could be a little on the nose, given the state barely has a cent to spare. And we all know that pool of money would not be up for grabs if it were not for an election. The other issue is the Liberals have just put out a budget. We know what they were planning to spend the money on, and where. Sure, they can change some things up — but how many sweeteners can they really surprise us with? So if they can't focus it on all the cash they want to drop, or their savings plans, that leaves policy. The Liberals have already begun to rethink theirs. Starting with privatisation. The premier announced just last Saturday the Liberals will not privatise any state-owned companies, and will in fact legislate so a two-thirds majority of parliament is required to sell them. Clearly they know going to an election with a "we want to explore privatisation" agenda is unlikely to win them many fans. It was also one of the reasons listed on the no-confidence motion. But how many other unpopular policies can they really rethink? The May decision to walk away from a treaty process was deeply unpopular among some Aboriginal groups, but there's no policy fix for the bungled process around the new Spirit of Tasmania ferry terminal, for example. The party's most unpopular position, an undying support for the almost billion-dollar Macquarie Point stadium, is unlikely to change. Lucky for the Liberals, Labor has taken the same stance, so it can't be used against them by the only other party viable to form government. But while the Liberals are trying to reconsider policies, Labor is going to need to come up with some (more). The party has been grappling with being stuck in the political wilderness for over a decade now. It lost the last election just 15 months ago. Badly. So, naturally, all policies are under review. With a little more notice of this election, it might have spent some time polishing them off, but it is partially responsible for this mess after all. When it comes to offering up something fresh, Labor's got the advantage of having a new leader, and as Dean Winter likes to remind everyone, "Labor has changed under me". Now is his time to really prove it. He certainly gained some kudos from the public for bringing the Spirit of Tasmania saga to light and has made it clear that the party backs workers. His mantra is almost "jobs, jobs, jobs". But the party still needs to figure out its position on a lot of issues. For example, just last month Mr Winter could not say if Labor was for or against a treaty. His argument was he could not take a side without consultation, but the issue is not exactly new. And Mr Winter has to transition from criticism to having solutions — fast. And answer questions such as whether Labor still wants to pause new permits for whole-home short-stay accommodation. Unclear. Or, what the plan is to cut the amount the state pays on locum doctors? Or, how it would go about closing the Ashley Youth Detention Centre if it's suddenly thrust into power. It is also a rare day when the party talks about what used to be some of its core issues — health, housing and education. And while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese talks about the need to balance industries and the environment, Mr Winter's pro-industry mantra can come across as "jobs at any cost". But where there is a void, there is always someone else happy to fill it. In this case, that is the Greens and other environmentally conscious crossbenchers. The same goes for the stadium. It is the crossbench who will be rewarded for their anti-stadium stance, and if the polls are anything to go by, it is a large crowd to capitalise on. But for how many Tasmanians will the stadium be their number one issue? Considering the Liberals' stuff-ups are fresh in people's minds, and Labor is copping a lot of the blame for the early election, the crossbench could very well benefit from voters' frustrations. But Tasmanians annoyed about the election also have a reason to take their anger out on the crossbench. Because, as much as the Greens and other independents like to spruik the power and benefits of minority parliament, most of them played a hand in blowing up that parliament less than halfway through its term. How can voters trust that won't happen again soon? Little about this election is going to be normal. But like it or not, in just over a month's time we're being dragged to the polls. No-one is coming into this unscathed and the end result is still anyone's game. Whatever the result, those 35 politicians owe it to Tasmanians to make it work for longer than 15 months, whatever it takes.
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
United States to conduct review into AUKUS agreement as PM prepares to meet Trump
Australia's AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine deal with the United States and United Kingdom is facing a review by the Pentagon, as the prime minister prepares for his first face-to-face meeting with the US president. Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has provided some reassurance about the future of the $368 billion submarine agreement struck in the Biden era. But in a move first reported by the Financial Times and confirmed by the Pentagon, a review will be conducted to ensure the program meets the "America First" criteria. Announced in 2021, the AUKUS agreement was designed to eventually support a shipbuilding industry in Australia to construct the highly complex nuclear-powered submarines using a UK design and technology shared between the three countries. But in the 15 years ahead of that, the US was set to provide at least three Virginia-class submarines, though its own domestic manufacturing industry is under pressure. Australia's agreement on AUKUS included significant investment in the American production line, and has been considered advantageous to the US. US Democrat congressman Joe Courtney, one of AUKUS' supporters in Washington, warned of serious consequences if the Trump administration junks the defence agreement. "To abandon AUKUS — which is already well under way — would cause lasting harm to our nation's standing with close allies and certainly be met with great rejoicing in Beijing," Courtney said. The prime minister is expected to lock in face-to-face talks with Trump on the sidelines of the G7 in Canada, which starts on Sunday.
