Sydney, Feb 25, 2026, 04:06 AEDT — Premarket
- The ASX 200 edged 0.04% lower to finish at 9,022.3 on Tuesday, with tech tumbling 3.5%.
- BHP and Woodside drove gains in miners and energy, while Macquarie dragged on financials.
- Attention snaps to January CPI on Wednesday. U.S. tariff shifts remain the key force steering risk sentiment.
Australian shares barely budged on Tuesday (Feb. 24). A sharp dive in tech wiped out the lift from miners and energy. The S&P/ASX 200 slipped 3.7 points, or 0.04%, closing at 9,022.3. The All Ordinaries lost 7.2 points, or 0.08%, to finish at 9,244.3, according to Commonwealth Bank. Tech names dropped 3.5%, sending the sector to lows not seen since October 2023.
Traders are looking ahead to Wednesday’s monthly inflation data, after the Reserve Bank of Australia’s latest rate move put the spotlight squarely on prices and wages. Overseas, Washington’s move to reimpose tariffs has rattled global risk sentiment: the US started collecting a temporary 10% tariff on all imports Tuesday, and officials say they aim to push that up to 15%. The measure, put in place under Section 122 of the Trade Act for 150 days, was first reported by Reuters.
The benchmark dropped another 0.6% on Monday. Now, according to traders, the market’s wedged between defensive stocks and pricier growth plays. “The market feels like it’s caught in a classic ‘risk-off rotation’ tug-of-war,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. In trader lingo, risk-off means pulling back from riskier bets when uncertainty spikes. Indo Premier
Financials slipped 0.3%, weighed by a sharp 3.6% slide in Macquarie as “higher-for-longer” rate concerns crept back in—meaning investors are bracing for elevated borrowing costs sticking around. Tech shares took a 3.5% hit, while real estate lost 1.2%.
Miners added 1.1%. BHP advanced 1.4%, earlier hitting a fresh record above A$55. Lithium stocks jumped—Pilbara Minerals surged 8%, while Mineral Resources climbed 6.5%.
Energy names gained 1.7%, with Woodside Energy shares jumping 2.6% as the producer delivered a stronger-than-forecast profit on higher output. Underlying net profit after tax came in at $2.65 billion for 2025—well ahead of the $2.54 billion analysts had penciled in. The board also signed off on a 59-cent final dividend. “Appointment of the CEO is a very important activity,” Woodside said, adding that a new chief will be named in the first quarter. Reuters
Consumer discretionary stocks remained on the back foot after disappointing earnings and a downbeat rate outlook dragged the sector to its lowest level in 10 months on Tuesday. Property trusts didn’t fare much better following the RBA move, leaving real estate exposed ahead of Wednesday’s inflation numbers.
Tech stocks once again weighed heavily. Market players are still pushing on the question of just how much artificial intelligence might squeeze software and payments margins — a pressure point that’s been shaking up global markets and is now seeping into domestic IT names.
A stronger CPI print risks reigniting the higher-for-longer narrative, putting fresh pressure on rate-sensitive spots—property trusts, retailers, the usual suspects. If U.S. tariffs take a more aggressive turn, miners could be facing even bumpier terrain, with the demand outlook for China and commodity prices growing hazier.
Next up: January monthly CPI lands at 11:30 a.m. AEDT Wednesday, with investors scanning both headline and trimmed-mean inflation numbers for any sign of a slowdown. Meanwhile, Woolworths, Flight Centre, Domino’s Pizza, Bapcor, and Iress are all set to deliver results as the earnings rush rolls on.
