Thursday 16th April 2026
Daily Market Update: 14 April 2026
Australian market overview
The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) fell 34.6 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 8,926, with eight of the 11 sectors closing lower. Market sentiment weakened after the United States announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following failed peace talks with Iran, driving Brent crude up 7.1 per cent to US$101.92 a barrel. The pullback comes after a strong prior week, where the index gained 4.4 per cent, its best performance since October 2022.
Australian sector and corporate performance
Energy stocks rallied on supply disruption risks, with Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) up 2.6 per cent, Santos Limited (ASX: STO) rising 1.7 per cent and Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) gaining 5 per cent, while Whitehaven Coal Limited (ASX: WHC) advanced 2.6 per cent. Technology names lagged, including WiseTech Global Limited (ASX: WTC) down 1.3 per cent, Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) off 1.5 per cent and Life360, Inc. (ASX: 360) falling 8.1 per cent. Gold miners declined, with Northern Star Resources Limited (ASX: NST), Evolution Mining Limited (ASX: EVN) and Ora Banda Mining Limited (ASX: OBM) weaker, while Orora Limited (ASX: ORA) dropped 6.4 per cent. In corporate news, The a2 Milk Company Limited (ASX: A2M) fell 13 per cent after cutting guidance, EML Payments Limited (ASX: EML) plunged 35.7 per cent on an earnings downgrade, Monash IVF Group Limited (ASX: MVF) rose 15.8 per cent following a takeover proposal involving Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Limited (ASX: SOL), and Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: TLX) gained 7.7 per cent after announcing a partnership with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN).
Global market overview
United States equities closed higher despite geopolitical tensions, as easing oil prices and bond yields supported risk appetite and optimism for renewed negotiations with Iran. The S&P 500 Index (NYSE: SPX), Nasdaq-100 Index (NASDAQ: NDX) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DJI) all advanced, led by software and application stocks. Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) surged more than 12 per cent, while Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: PLTR), CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWD) and ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE: NOW) each rose more than 5 per cent. Financials were mixed ahead of earnings, with The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS) declining after missing revenue expectations in fixed income, currencies and commodities trading.
| Australian Indices | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| ASX 200 | -0.4 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 2.4 | 18.9 |
| Financials | -0.1 | 6.6 | 4.8 | 10.4 | 26.4 |
| Resources | -0.3 | 4.3 | 6.4 | 11.7 | 61.5 |
| Information Technology | -1.5 | 2.3 | -5.0 | -22.6 | -22.2 |
| Global Indices | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| US 500 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.7 | -7.3 | 13.8 |
| Europe | -0.6 | 2.1 | 4.8 | -3.8 | 15.4 |
| Japan | -0.3 | 1.4 | 2.9 | -1.9 | 22.0 |
| China top 50 | -0.3 | 0.2 | -1.1 | -14.6 | 0.2 |
| India top 50 | -1.6 | 3.1 | 2.2 | -12.7 | -12.9 |
| Fixed Interest | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| Australian Treasury Bond | -0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | -0.8 | 0.1 |
| Australian Corporate Bond | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | -0.7 | 0.9 |
| US Treasury | -0.4 | 0.3 | -0.1 | -0.1 | 4.0 |
| Cash | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 3.8 |
| Commodities & Crypto | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| Gold | -0.2 | 0.4 | -6.5 | -2.6 | 32.6 |
| Silver | -1.6 | 3.8 | -10.8 | -17.0 | 108.1 |
| Crude Oil | 5.9 | -13.7 | 0.5 | 65.1 | 81.4 |
| Bitcoin | -1.7 | 5.5 | -1.0 | -27.4 | -25.1 |
