MELBOURNE, June 25, 2026, 03:05 (AEST)
- ANZ finished at A$35.64 on Wednesday, slipping around 0.3%.
- ANZ-Roy Morgan confidence gained 2.1 points to 72.8 after the RBA kept rates steady.
- ANZ will open 27 branches for trading on Saturdays across the country.
ANZ Group Holdings slipped 0.3% to finish at A$35.64 on Wednesday, lagging behind key rivals. National Australia Bank ended up 1.1% at A$38.75, while Westpac firmed 0.9% to A$35.78.
S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.24% at 8,808.4. As of 03:05 AEST, Thursday’s cash market was still shut. The ASX pre-open kicks off at 7 a.m. in Sydney.
ANZ-Roy Morgan confidence picked up 2.1 points to 72.8 last week, hitting its best mark in more than three months. Still, it sits 13.9 points under where it was a year ago. “It’s at its highest level since early March, though it remains well below its 2025 average,” said ANZ economist Sophia Angala. Roymorgan
Households’ view on whether it’s a good time to buy a major item rose for the sixth week, up 4.9 points. Short-term economic confidence added 4.5 points. Weekly inflation expectations eased to 5.8%, down 0.2 percentage point. Among housing groups, only mortgage holders saw weaker confidence.
Australia’s yearly consumer inflation slowed to 4.0% in May from 4.2% in April, according to figures out Wednesday. Trimmed-mean inflation edged up to 3.6%, compared to 3.4% in April, filtering out extreme price swings.
But a higher confidence reading doesn’t guarantee more credit demand. The Reserve Bank of Australia kept the cash rate at 4.35% but said it may go higher if needed. A hike would likely hit home-loan demand again and add pressure to borrowers.
ANZ is set to open 27 branches on Saturdays starting June 27. Customers will get home-loan and specialist banking help, but no counter deposits or withdrawals. Staff will be on hand to assist with Smart ATMs. “Banking fit around our customers’ lives – not the other way around,” Australia retail chief Pedro Rodeia said. ANZ
ANZ plans to pay an interim dividend of 83 Australian cents per share on July 1. The payout is 75% franked, so most of it comes with Australian company-tax credits.
ANZ posted a cash profit of A$3.78 billion for its May half-year, stripping out non-core items. That was up 14% from the previous half. CEO Nuno Matos said “margins remained stable for the half amid intense competition.” ANZ
