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Thursday Evening Market Wrap – 26 June 2025
The S&P/ASX 200 concluded the day down by 8.4 points, closing at 8,550.8, a decline of 0.10%. The trading session witnessed marked interest in critical minerals sectors, including antimony, niobium, and lithium, with biotechnology stocks also gaining traction. Conversely, gold stocks were among the day’s underperformers as the gold price slipped amid easing tensions in the Middle East.
Market Overview
In today’s trading, while the ASX 200 displayed a minor downturn, a broader analysis of the S&P/ASX 300 indicates that advancing stocks outnumbered decliners, with a tally of 169 to 108.
Key market indices reflected varied performances:
- ASX 200: 8,550.8 (-0.10%)
- All Ords: 8,773.6 (-0.07%)
- Small Ords: 3,227.1 (+0.46%)
- All Tech: 3,977.2 (-0.96%)
- Emerging Companies: 2,252.0 (+0.61%)
Sector Performance
The biotechnology sector saw notable gains, contributing to a 0.44% increase in healthcare stocks, buoyed by key players like Cochlear (+0.88%) and CSL (+0.64%).
The Resources sector (up 0.16%) and Energy sector (up 0.13%) also showed resilience with critical minerals such as lithium, represented by Pilbara Minerals (PLS), gaining 5.6%.
In a contrasting trend, the gold sector continued to decline, with the Gold Index down by 0.84%, influenced by the recent downturn in gold prices.
Notable Stock Movements
Top Gainers:
- Pilbara Minerals (PLS): $1.315 (+5.6%)
- Mineral Resources (MIN): $20.90 (+3.6%)
- ANZ Group (ANZ): $29.74 (+2.2%)
Top Decliners:
- Xero (XRO): $184.00 (-5.3%)
- Northern Star (NST): $18.84 (-2.3%)
- Life360 (360): $30.84 (-1.8%)
Technical Analysis Highlights
The technical outlook for the NASDAQ Composite shows it moving through important resistance levels, poised to break significantly higher or face downward correction. The ASX 200 appears stable within its trend, indicating solid demand despite minor volatility in today’s session. The US Dollar Index is trending lower, which typically benefits commodity-based assets including metals and cryptocurrencies.
Economic Calendar
No major economic releases were reported today. However, upcoming key data releases include:
- Final GDP (USA) on Thursday at 22:30 AEST with a forecast of -0.2%
- Core Durable Goods Orders (USA) on Thursday at 22:30 AEST, forecasted at +0.1%
- Core PCE (USA) on Friday, with forecasts for personal consumption metrics.
Conclusion
As trading progress on the ASX indicates, sectors like critical minerals and biotechnology are gaining momentum, while traditional gold and energy sectors are seeing pressure. Investors should remain watchful of economic indicators that could impact market trajectories, particularly as we approach further analysis in the coming sessions.
For investors and market analysts, keeping tabs on the ongoing trends across the sectors will be crucial to navigating these fluctuating market conditions effectively.
