ASX 200 +0.74% to 8,729.8 as miners lead; LTR.AU +12.34% caps lithium rally
ASX 200 close: 8,729.8 (+64 pts, +0.74%) Breadth: Basic Materials filled 13 of the top-25 gainers; Financials filled none Sentiment: bullish
The S&P/ASX 200 closed at 8,729.8 on 1 May 2026, up 64 points or 0.74%, with the All Ordinaries +0.75% to 8,954.7. LTR.AU +12.34% capped a lithium-led miners session after Liontown's March-quarter print on 30 April cut AISC 22% to A$1,059/dmt and unit costs 17% to A$910/dmt. Banks lagged with ANZ.AU -2.84% as the CEO flagged escalation risk on the Strait of Hormuz into Tuesday's RBA decision.
Session highlights
- LTR.AU +12.34% to A$2.64 — Mar Q on 30 Apr: AISC -22% to A$1,059/dmt, unit costs -17% to A$910/dmt
- Lithium leadership broadened: EUR.AU +8.86%, WC8.AU +5.13%, GLN.AU +3.81%, IGO.AU +3.36%
- Uranium followed: NXG.AU +6.31%, PDN.AU +3.91%, BMN.AU +3.73%
- ASX VIX 12.36 (-5.86%) — first close under 12.5 in two weeks
- ANZ.AU -2.84% to A$35.61 led bank weakness; CEO flagged Hormuz escalation risk into Tuesday's RBA decision
Sector scorecard
- Basic Materials: 13 of the top-25 gainers — 5 lithium, 3 uranium, 3 iron ore
- Financials: ANZ.AU -2.84%, BOQ.AU -0.89%, SDF.AU -0.94% — only sector with no top-25 gainers
- Healthcare split: COH.AU +5.07% versus RMD.AU -3.53% — sharpest single-sector dispersion
- Iron ore equities rallied: MIN.AU +4.69%, CIA.AU +3.85%, ILU.AU +3.47%
- Energy bifurcated: uranium +3-6%, WDS.AU -1.28% as Brent +0.88% lagged the equity move
Top movers
| Ticker | Move | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| LTR.AU | +12.34% | Mar Q (30 Apr): AISC -22% to A$1,059/dmt |
| IPX.AU | +9.76% | Titanium / critical-minerals follow-through |
| EUR.AU | +8.86% | Lithium-sector bid; no announcement |
| NXG.AU | +6.31% | Uranium spot strength; PDN.AU +3.91% confirms |
| ELS.AU | +6.23% | Unannounced — likely flow-driven |
| FFM.AU | -8.84% | Unannounced — likely flow-driven |
| EQR.AU | -5.56% | Unannounced — likely flow-driven |
| RMD.AU | -3.53% | Q3 FY26: rev US$1.4B (+11%); guidance softer |
| ING.AU | -3.45% | Unannounced — likely flow-driven |
| ANZ.AU | -2.84% | CEO Iran-war warning; pre-RBA bank weakness |
Notable announcements
- LTR.AU March-quarter activities (30 Apr): underground transition complete at Kathleen Valley; AISC A$1,059/dmt (-22% Q/Q); unit costs -17% to A$910/dmt
- RMD.AU Q3 FY26 (US-listed, 30 Apr): revenue US$1.4B (+11% Y/Y), non-GAAP EPS US$2.86 (+21%); A$340M Noctrix Health acquisition targeted to close 1 Jun
- COH.AU recap: 22 Apr trading update cut FY26 NPAT to A$290-330m from A$435-460m on softer surgical volumes; today's +5.07% recovers ~6 of the 35 percentage points lost in the post-update sell-down
At the AU close (16:15 AEST)
| Asset | Level | Change | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 (cash) | 7,209.01 | +1.02% | Thursday US close; AAPL.US Q2 US$111.2B post-bell |
| Dow Jones | 49,652 | +1.62% | 350 pts shy of 50,000 |
| US VIX | 17.07 | +1.07% | Off Thursday close 16.89 into NFP Friday |
| Brent | US$111.37 | +0.88% | Hormuz tail still bid; ANZ.AU CEO escalation comment |
| Gold | US$4,578.80 | -1.10% | Profit-take after April outperformance |
| AUD/USD | 0.7189 | -0.19% | Position-trim into Tuesday's RBA call |
Next 24h catalysts (AEST)
- Fri 22:30 — US April NFP, unemployment rate, average hourly earnings
- Sat 00:30 — AAPL.US opens Friday US session on Q2 print (US$111.2B revenue, after-bell Thu)
- Mon 09:00 — SPI open; tracks Friday US session and weekend Iran/OPEC headlines
- Tue 14:30 — RBA cash-rate decision; markets price ~62% probability of +25bp
- Tue 15:30 — RBA Governor post-decision presser; updated Statement on Monetary Policy
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