Monday 3rd August 2026
Daily Market Update: 03 August 2026
Australian shares extend fourth straight monthly gain
The S&P/ASX 200 Index rose for a fourth consecutive month, edging up 9.1 points, to 8976.8 on Friday after retreating from an intraday peak of 9059.80. The benchmark added 2.3 per cent over the month for its second-best result of 2026 and its biggest weekly rise since early April. Support came from a cooler Australian inflation report for June and a more measured tone from the Reserve Bank of Australia, both reinforcing expectations that the cash rate will hold at 4.35 per cent next month.
Miners lead as tech and healthcare lag
Artificial-intelligence optimism lifted materials, with BHP Group Limited (ASX: BHP) up 2 per cent to $60.31 and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) up 1.3 per cent to $170.57 as traders sought copper exposure. The local tech sector was mixed: NextDC Limited (ASX: NXT) surged 4.5 per cent to $13.36 while WiseTech Global Limited (ASX: WTC) fell 4.2 per cent to $36.30. Healthcare was the weakest sector as CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) dropped 3.8 per cent to $123.06 after Macquarie Group Limited (ASX: MQG) named it the “least preferred” stock in the sector, while Woodside Energy Group Limited (ASX: WDS) eked out a 0.2 per cent gain to $32.95. Fortescue Limited (ASX: FMG) fell 1.9 per cent to $18.51 on an expected US$525 million ($746.8 million) after-tax impairment at its Iron Bridge magnetite project; Energy One Limited (ASX: EOL) soared 31.8 per cent to $14.30 after rejecting a $565 million, $17-per-share takeover approach from Volue ASA (OSE: VOLUE).
Global markets ride tech-led gains
United States stocks rose on Friday as gains in major technology names lifted the market through a volatile session. The S&P 500 Index rose 0.7 per cent, the Nasdaq 100 Index gained 0.6 per cent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 277 points. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) jumped 15.3 per cent on strong cloud growth, while optimism around the artificial-intelligence trade boosted software and hyperscalers, with Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) gaining 6.9 per cent, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) adding 3 per cent and Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) rising 3.3 per cent. Those advances outweighed a 7.3 per cent slide in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), after chip shortages raised costs and reduced June-quarter production, weighing on earnings. Crude oil edged higher on Friday, capping a strong monthly gain — its best since March — as escalating geopolitical tensions strained key shipping routes.
| Australian Indices | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| ASX 200 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 6.9 |
| Financials | 0.0 | 1.9 | 8.0 | 5.1 | 10.3 |
| Resources | 1.0 | 0.4 | -0.7 | -3.0 | 41.8 |
| Information Technology | 1.1 | 6.2 | -2.6 | 4.2 | -29.6 |
| Global Indices | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| US 500 | 0.7 | 0.2 | -2.0 | 6.3 | 11.2 |
| Europe | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 8.1 | 14.2 |
| Japan | 2.7 | 0.4 | -2.8 | 6.6 | 19.1 |
| China top 50 | -1.6 | 4.8 | 13.6 | 4.2 | -7.6 |
| India top 50 | -0.5 | 2.7 | -2.8 | 1.7 | -17.3 |
| Fixed Interest | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| Australian Treasury Bond | 0.3 | 1.0 | -0.2 | 1.8 | 0.7 |
| Australian Corporate Bond | 0.2 | 0.9 | -0.2 | 1.9 | 1.3 |
| US Treasury | 0.3 | 0.5 | -0.6 | -0.3 | 2.4 |
| Cash | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 4.0 |
| Commodities & Crypto | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| Gold | 0.0 | 0.8 | -1.1 | -8.9 | 12.7 |
| Silver | 1.0 | -0.7 | -1.7 | -18.2 | 46.2 |
| Crude Oil | -3.8 | -6.3 | 22.7 | -11.7 | 55.6 |
| Bitcoin | -0.1 | -2.4 | 3.2 | -18.0 | -50.3 |
