Australia’s ASX 200 rose 18 points, or 0.2%, to close at 9,251 on Tuesday, breaking a two-session losing streak. Sentiment improved after the Reserve Bank of Australia, as widely expected, unanimously left the cash rate unchanged at 4.35%, while reaffirming its vigilance against persistent inflation and noting that the impact of its previous three rate hikes is still working through the economy.
Markets largely shrugged off July’s weak business confidence, which remains well below the levels seen in February before the outbreak of the U.S.–Israeli conflict with Iran. Investors also looked past a sharp decline in U.S. futures following Monday’s subdued Wall Street session, as they awaited key U.S. inflation data due Wednesday.
Sector gains in energy minerals, healthcare, technology, and consumer durables outweighed losses in logistics and retail. Among major names, BHP advanced 0.7% and Rio Tinto climbed 0.5%, while Woodside Energy rallied 3.8% and Santos jumped 5.4%. Austral soared 17.5% after South Korea’s Hanwha offered up to USD 1.2 billion to acquire its U.S. shipbuilding business.
