ASX 200 ends flat at 9,070 as CSL posts its biggest gain in two decades
ASX 200 close: 9,070.0 (-0.04%) Breadth: 81 advancers / 137 decliners across 229 large caps surveyed Sentiment: mixed
The S&P/ASX 200 closed at 9,070.0 on 18 August 2026, down 3.2 points or 0.04% in a fifth straight decline, as two reporting-season winners almost exactly cancelled a rate-driven selloff in the rest of the market. CSL.AU rose 17.25% to $157.82, its largest single-session gain in more than 20 years, after guiding to roughly 5% underlying profit growth in FY27 against consensus near 2%. The US 30-year yield reached 5.31% overnight, its highest since 2007, and the Australian 10-year held above 5.0%. Banks, telcos and staples fell all session.
What moved the index
- CSL.AU (+17.25%) added roughly 37 bps to the index by itself, the single largest contribution of the session. FY26 revenue fell 1% to US$15.8bn and the company booked a US$2.6bn statutory loss on US$7.1bn of pre-tax impairments, but FY27 guidance of about 5% underlying profit growth beat the roughly 2% consensus.
- BHP.AU (+2.65%) contributed about 24 bps. FY26 underlying EBITDA rose 27% to US$32.9bn with copper at 54% of group earnings, and the US$1.72 full-year dividend beat Macquarie and Morgans estimates of 160 and 157.7 US cents.
- PME.AU (+11.88%) and GMG.AU (+3.04%) added about 7 bps and 5 bps. Pro Medicus lifted underlying profit 24.1% to $144.7m and signed 10 new contracts worth at least $407m.
- The big four banks plus MQG.AU (-1.16% average) subtracted about 24 bps, with CBA.AU -1.44% the largest single drag at roughly 11 bps. Gold miners took off another 9 bps as the sub-index fell 1.57%.
Together CSL.AU, BHP.AU, PME.AU and GMG.AU added about 73 bps. The banks, gold miners and a long tail of rate-sensitive names took back a similar amount, leaving the index 4 bps lower. Of the 229 large caps surveyed, 137 fell.
Session highlights
- 9,070.0 was the close, inside a narrow 9,065.2 to 9,106.5 range, after futures had pointed 36 points lower at the open.
- HUB.AU fell 7.25% despite FY26 underlying profit rising 40% to $137.3m. Platform net inflows hit $18.9bn, in line with estimates, and management flagged outflows from its discretionary book.
- SGM.AU dropped 11.04% even after underlying EBIT rose 167.6% to $468.0m. Sales revenue of $8,007.5m missed by 2%, and investors had already priced June's upgraded guidance.
- AU VIX closed at 10.89, down 1.90%. Hedging demand eased even as single-name moves ran into double digits.
- Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment rose 6% to 88.9 in August from 83.9, with gains concentrated among mortgage holders after the RBA held on 11 August.
Sector scorecard
- Best: Health Care (+7.81%)
- Worst: Communication Services (-1.27%)
- Dispersion (best minus worst): 9.08 pts
- Health Care split more widely than any other sector. CSL.AU +17.25%, PME.AU +11.88%, COH.AU +7.58% and PNV.AU +4.46% rose, while RMD.AU -1.64%, SIG.AU -1.69% and CU6.AU -0.77% fell. Four rose, three fell, and 19 points separated the best from the worst inside one sector.
- Energy (+0.99%) and Utilities (+0.89%) were the only other sectors to finish higher. Financials fell 1.10% and Consumer Staples 1.16%.
Top movers
| Ticker | Move | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| RWC.AU | +24.65% | Brookfield lifted its cash proposal to $4.75, a 31.6% premium |
| CSL.AU | +17.25% | FY27 guidance of ~5% profit growth beat ~2% consensus |
| JDO.AU | +16.94% | FY26 profit before tax +34% to $168.1m, FY27 guidance held |
| PME.AU | +11.88% | Underlying profit +24.1%, $407m of new contracts signed |
| SRG.AU | +9.39% | Revenue +27%, FY27 EBITDA guidance raised to $195-205m |
| SGM.AU | -11.04% | Record EBIT but revenue missed 2%; upgrade already priced |
| MAH.AU | -8.59% | Record $2.6bn revenue, but FY27 capex and cash flow disappointed |
| IRE.AU | -8.44% | Second-day decline after Monday's half-year result |
| 360.AU | -8.17% | Unannounced, likely flow-driven |
| IPX.AU | -7.34% | Unannounced, likely flow-driven |
Notable announcements
- EQT.AU received an unsolicited $24.55 per share cash proposal from TPG Global, a 42% premium to the prior close of $17.31. The board is assessing the proposal and has asked shareholders to take no action.
- RWC.AU granted Brookfield four weeks of exclusivity to 15 September and pulled its final dividend, valuing the company at an enterprise value near $4.1bn, or 12.1x FY26 adjusted EBITDA.
- CGF.AU (+6.50%) lifted normalised profit 3% to $468m, upsized its buy-back to $450m and announced a further $300m on-market buy-back.
- COH.AU (+7.58%) delivered underlying profit of $322m at the top of its revised $290-330m range, with FY27 guidance of $330-350m.
After the AU close (17:49 AEST)
| Asset | Level | Change | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 futures | 7,735.00 | -0.43% | Trading through the AU session |
| Nasdaq 100 futures | 29,840.50 | -0.85% | Weaker than the S&P contract |
| US VIX | 15.88 | +4.54% | Rising while AU VIX fell 1.90% |
| Nikkei 225 | 67,460.73 | -2.54% | Steepest regional close |
| Gold | US$4,457.90/oz | -0.35% | AU gold sub-index fell 1.57% |
| Brent | US$91.02 | +0.17% | Hormuz traffic near 3 vessels a day |
| Copper | US$6.56/lb | -0.85% | LME one-day spread at a US$75/t premium |
| AUD/USD | 0.7106 | -0.01% | Held its range through the session |
Australian marks are the 16:00 AEST close. Futures, commodities and FX are live prints at 17:49 AEST.
Next 24h catalysts (AEST)
- Wed 19 Aug, open CBA.AU trades ex its $2.70 fully franked final dividend, a mechanical drag of roughly 13 bps on the index given its weight.
- Wed 19 Aug FY26 results from STO.AU, EVN.AU, WHC.AU and YAL.AU put energy and gold earnings on the board after both sectors diverged today.
- Wed 19 Aug Property results from SGP.AU and MGR.AU land with the Australian 10-year above 5.0%.
- Wed 19 Aug BRG.AU, ILU.AU, TLC.AU, MFG.AU, BGA.AU and HLS.AU also report.
- Thu 20 Aug NST.AU releases audited results and FY27 guidance.
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