Brent Crude ($US/barrel)

20/03/2023

Subscribe to Market Matters Blog

Latest Reports

Weekend report 23/05/2026

Weekend Q&A: Soft Australian employment data questions the path of the RBA

The ASX200 needed a storming return to form on Thursday & Friday to end the week up just +0.3%, as news around the US-Iran War finally supported local stocks. The choppy week saw early negative sentiment push the index down to a fresh 7-week low, testing below the 8500 level before some bargain hunting returned. The major miners led the market's recovery, reflecting an improvement in risk appetite given the sector’s strong leverage to global growth expectations, although both BHP Group (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) still finished the week modestly lower.

Afternoon report 22/05/2026

The Match Out: Copper upgrades carry the ASX to a positive week (just)!

The ASX edged higher to close out a mildly positive week, helped by improving reports on the Middle East and softening expectations for Australian interest rates. Miners and Energy stocks led the line today, though it’s been a particularly volatile week, with several triple digit moves, even though we’ve ended only +0.3% above where we started.