SYDNEY, June 27, 2026, 03:03 AEST
- ASX 200 climbed 0.18% Friday, snapping some losses, but still ended the week down around 0.7%.
- Miners snapped a six-day slide. Tech logged its weakest week since mid-March.
- Breadth was soft late Friday as more than half of ASX 200 shares traded lower.
- Next week brings RBA minutes and China PMI data, both in focus for rates direction and mining stocks.
ASX 200 (INDEXASX:XJO) eked out a 0.18% rise on Friday, ending at 8,764.20, but the week told a different story. The benchmark lost 0.73% for the week. Six months in, the index barely moved, up just 0.02%, with its year-to-date advance at 0.57%, according to MarketScreener.
The cash market is now closed for the weekend. Standard ASX trading happens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sydney time on ASX business days, CommSec says.
ASX 200 finishes higher after choppy session; All Ords up, Small Ords dip The ASX 200 pushed between 8,708.10 and 8,774.50 before ending near session highs on Friday. The All Ordinaries (INDEXASX:XAO) ended up 12.60 points, or 0.14%, at 8,964.20. The Small Ordinaries (INDEXASX:XSO) slipped 0.64%.
ASX 200 action stayed choppy. By Market Index’s last live post, 108 out of 200 names, or 54%, traded in the red though seven sectors posted gains. The index ended up with strength from just a handful of stocks, lacking broad risk appetite.
“Investors are walking a tightrope between the RBA’s recent move and the lack of liquidity around June 30 financial year end,” said William Taylor, COO and portfolio manager at ETF Shares. Miners gained 0.8% on Friday, breaking a six-day loss streak, Reuters said, but still dropped 4.6% for the week. Tech lost 1.2% Friday and was down 5.2% for the week, its weakest since mid-March. Healthcare fell 1.3%. Indo Premier
Defensive stocks lifted the index. Consumer staples outperformed, Coles Group Ltd ASX:COL rose 1.5% and Woolworths Group Ltd ASX:WOW gained 0.8%. Utilities traded up too, with Origin Energy Ltd ASX:ORG, APA Group ASX:APA, and AGL Energy Ltd (ASX:AGL) all closing higher.
BHP Group Ltd ASX:BHP inched up 0.8% and Rio Tinto Ltd ASX:RIO advanced 2.15%. Among gold miners, Northern Star Resources Ltd ASX:NST was up 3.36%, Evolution Mining Ltd ASX:EVN added 2.95%. Mining heavyweights helped steady the market.
Equities keep struggling with rates. ABS data this week put annual CPI at 4.0% in May, and trimmed mean inflation at 3.6%, both higher than April’s 3.4%. Unemployment dropped to 4.4% in May. The RBA kept its cash rate target steady at 4.35% on June 16.
Australian job vacancies dropped 2.1% in the May quarter, Reuters said, ending a long run of gains since mid-2025. Openings in financial and insurance services sank 21.4%. That’s a signal hiring is cooling off, not great news for banks or consumer stocks as inflation remains a drag on hopes for rate cuts.
ASX Ltd ASX:ASX is turning the spotlight back on disclosure risk. The exchange operator said Friday it will watch for repeated conduct that could lift share prices through company announcements. The move will cover miners and private credit disclosures over the next year.
Offshore markets weighed on the local recovery. Reuters said MSCI’s Asia ex-Japan index dropped almost 3% Friday, with South Korea’s KOSPI down as much as 5.8%. Chip stocks looked on track for a 7% weekly slide. Mark Hackett, Nationwide’s chief market strategist, called it “a dramatic rotation from tech and everything else.” Reuters
RBA minutes and China PMI kick off next week. The Reserve Bank of Australia’s June meeting minutes drop June 30 at 11:30 a.m. AEST. Mining stocks will also be watching China PMI numbers after the materials sector struggled this week.
