Swingfolio Daily
ASX briefings — Thursday 20 August 2026
Morning setup and afternoon close recap for Thursday 20 August 2026. Observations only — no trade advice.
Thursday 20 August 2026
ASX 200 set to open 0.3% higher as a US Treasury buyback plan lifts gold 4.23%
SPI futures point the ASX 200 28 points, or 0.3%, higher after the US Treasury said it will at least double its buybacks of 10-year to 30-year debt. The 30-year yield fell more than 10 basis points to 5.184%, the dollar index dropped 0.89% to 98.77, and spot gold rose 4.23% to US$4,518.28 an ounce. Australian July labour force data lands at 11:30 AEST, with GMG.AU, MPL.AU, MP1.AU, SUL.AU and ZIP.AU reporting.
ASX 200 climbs 0.33% to 9,083.8 as gold miners surge on the US Treasury buyback
The S&P/ASX 200 closed at 9,083.8 on 20 August 2026, up 30.0 points or 0.33%, snapping a six-day losing streak. An expanded US Treasury debt buyback pulled the 30-year yield down about 9 bps and lifted COMEX gold 2.83% overnight, driving 17 ASX gold names to an average gain near 9%. The big four banks pulled the other way, subtracting roughly 48 bps, and FY26 results set both session extremes: ZIP.AU rose 18.22% and IEL.AU fell 20.74%.