The ASX 200 was little changed on Monday, the first trading day of June, closing at 8,729 after the previous session’s rally. Strength in tech services, healthcare, and commercial services offset weakness in process industries and consumer services.
Investors prepared for a busy week of domestic data, including first-quarter business inventories, company gross profits, and GDP, with April trade figures also due following a month in which exports fell and imports surged. Meanwhile, fresh data showed job advertisements rose in May for the first time in three months, even as the monthly inflation gauge declined 0.3% month-on-month, its first drop since February.
In the U.S., stock futures edged higher after President Donald Trump said Tehran “really wants to make a deal” that would benefit the U.S. and its allies. Among Australian blue chips, two of the big four banks posted modest gains, while mining heavyweights BHP Group and Rio Tinto advanced 0.3% and 1.7%, respectively. On the downside, Lynas Rare Earths slipped 2.6%, CSL Ltd. fell 2.3%, and Bluescope Steel lost 1.1%.
