Sydney, Feb 18, 2026, 04:05 AEDT — The session’s over.
- Miners and retailers helped drive the ASX 200 to a 0.24% gain, closing at 8,958.9 on Tuesday.
- BHP shares jumped 4.7%, lifted by stronger half-year results and an increased interim dividend.
- All eyes turn to this week’s wage and employment data, as investors hunt for signals on the RBA’s next step.
Shares in Australia nudged higher Tuesday, with BHP’s latest numbers giving the market a boost during thin holiday trade. The S&P/ASX 200 added 21.8 points, or 0.24%, to finish at 8,958.9. JB Hi-Fi soared 8.1%. Pro Medicus picked up 7.7%. Reliance Worldwide slumped, off 9.1%. The Australian dollar slipped to 70.59 U.S. cents. Spot iron ore settled near $98.4 a tonne. (ABC News)
The benchmark closed just shy of 9,000—traders are eyeing that mark. Earnings season is in full swing for large caps, and lately, it’s been single-stock action driving much of the movement. BHP, given its size, has enough heft to sway the index on its own.
Rates line up on the opposite side. Investors haven’t finished processing the central bank’s move in February, and now, with another batch of wages and labour numbers coming up, markets are watching closely to see if February was just a blip—or if something stickier is taking hold.
The S&P/ASX 200 futures contract added 0.44%, last trading at 8,933.5, according to Investing.
Overseas signals offered little clarity. Early Tuesday, U.S. stocks slipped, with investors jittery over mounting costs and potential ripple effects tied to the artificial intelligence boom. Gold softened too, after news of some headway in U.S.-Iran negotiations lessened its appeal as a haven, according to Reuters. “The conversation about AI rose to the top of market concerns,” said Peter Tuz, president of Chase Investment Counsel. (Reuters)
BHP posted a first-half underlying attributable profit of $6.20 billion, up 22%, and announced a 73-cent interim dividend per share—topping analyst forecasts. Copper, for the first time, accounted for 51% of operating earnings, thanks to a sharp 32% leap in realised copper prices, according to the miner. “They smashed everyone’s expectations from a dividend perspective,” said Andy Forster, portfolio manager at Argo Investments. CEO Mike Henry, meanwhile, said the group currently feels “not feeling any burning need” to pursue takeovers. (Reuters)
The Reserve Bank of Australia’s February minutes revealed the board believed inflation would remain “persistently above target” unless it lifted rates by 25 basis points, pushing the cash rate up to 3.85%. There’s no predetermined course for policy, according to the minutes, but traders are already betting on another move to 4.10% in May if price pressures don’t ease. (Reuters)
Wages are next up locally. The Australian Bureau of Statistics plans to hand down the December quarter Wage Price Index at 11:30 a.m. AEDT on Wednesday. Traders are watching to see if pay growth is losing steam—or stubbornly holding on. (Australian Bureau of Statistics)
At 11:30 a.m. AEDT on Thursday, the January labour force report lands—another data point that could reshape how investors gauge the pace of slowing job growth. (Australian Bureau of Statistics)
Earnings season isn’t giving stock pickers any breathing room. CommSec’s February reporting calendar lays out when over 150 large-caps drop results, so headline risk hangs over the market all week. (CommSec)
But this set-up can reverse quickly. A sharp rise in wages or a robust jobs figure probably firms up rate-hike bets, pushing on rate-sensitive stocks. Fresh weakness in bulk commodities? That could put pressure on miners—right after BHP gave the sector a boost.
ASX futures sit just shy of 9,000 heading into Wednesday, with macro forces returning to the spotlight. Traders are watching for wage numbers due at 11:30 a.m. AEDT on Feb. 18, followed by the labour data scheduled for 11:30 a.m. AEDT on Feb. 19.
