ASX 200 closes 0.68% higher at 9,164.6 as a Suncorp takeover report lifts insurers
ASX 200 close: 9,164.6 (+0.68%) Breadth: 157 advancers / 73 decliners Sentiment: bullish
The S&P/ASX 200 closed at 9,164.6 on 25 August 2026, up 61.5 points or 0.68%, after a Financial Times report that Tokio Marine had settled on Suncorp as its preferred takeover target lifted the financials sector 0.94% after it fell in ten of the previous twelve sessions. SUN.AU rose 7.97% to $19.37 and IAG.AU 3.83% to $7.86 on that report, while EOS.AU topped the market at 23.02% after half-year revenue rose 283% to $168.8 million on defence orders. Health care added 1.40% and consumer staples 2.11% on reporting season results.
What moved the index
- Financials, +0.94%: roughly 31 bps of the 68 bps index move, the largest contribution by sector weight. SUN.AU +7.97% and IAG.AU +3.83% on the Tokio Marine report, MQG.AU +1.67%, WBC.AU +0.83%, NAB.AU +0.63% and ANZ.AU +0.46% added the rest. The sector had fallen in ten of the previous twelve sessions for a cumulative 9.7% decline.
- Health care, +1.40%: roughly 13 bps. CSL.AU +2.68% to $173.64 and ANN.AU +8.16% to $41.36, a second-day gain after Monday's FY26 result put adjusted earnings per share at US148.6 cents, near the top of guidance, with FY27 guided to US158 to 170 cents. The sector index closed at its highest since 12 February.
- Consumer staples, +2.11%: roughly 10 bps. COL.AU +4.90% to $23.75 after sales growth across the first eight weeks of FY27 held at the 3.8% pace set in the June quarter. A2M.AU +6.30% and WOW.AU +0.80%.
- Information technology, +2.25%: roughly 8 bps. WTC.AU +4.55%, DTL.AU +5.77%, ZIP.AU +5.56% and XRO.AU +2.56%, against a Nasdaq Composite that fell 0.76% overnight.
Energy, down 0.78% for about 3 bps, and real estate, down 0.16%, were the only two sectors to close lower. The four positive sectors above account for roughly 58 bps of the 68 bps move. The residual sits in materials, industrials and utilities, consistent with 157 advancers against 73 decliners across the 249 large-cap names surveyed.
Session highlights
- 9,117.5 marked the session low at the open and 9,179.5 the high, leaving the close 14.9 points below the best level of the day and 47.1 points above the worst.
- LTR.AU -8.68%, PLS.AU -6.03%, ELV.AU -5.82%, IGO.AU -4.90% and MIN.AU -3.46% as China lithium carbonate sat near CNY 140,000 per tonne, a six-month low, with CATL's Jianxiawo mine returning supply to the market.
- BHP.AU +0.82% to $67.67 posted a second consecutive record close, holding materials at +0.30% against the lithium selling.
- WDS.AU -1.43% to $33.00 after 2026 production guidance narrowed to 174 to 185 MMboe, a 179.5 MMboe midpoint that sits 3.7% below Macquarie's 186.4 MMboe estimate, even as the interim dividend of US57 cents beat that broker's US53 cents.
- The S&P/ASX 200 VIX fell 0.88% to 10.54 across a 62-point session range.
Sector scorecard
- Best: Information Technology (+2.25%)
- Worst: Energy (-0.78%)
- Dispersion (best minus worst): 3.03 pts
- Materials closed +0.30% and held the widest internal split: BHP.AU +0.82% and RIO.AU +1.05% against LTR.AU -8.68% and PLS.AU -6.03%, with 21 of the 36 materials names surveyed higher.
Top movers
| Ticker | Move | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| EOS.AU | +23.02% | Half-year revenue $168.8 million, up 283% on defence orders |
| ARB.AU | +13.87% | FY26 profit $92.4 million beat UBS at $81 million; 69 cent dividend |
| NGI.AU | +8.75% | Unannounced, likely flow-driven. |
| ANN.AU | +8.16% | Second day on FY26 earnings per share of US148.6 cents |
| SUN.AU | +7.97% | Tokio Marine named it preferred takeover target |
| NAN.AU | -17.12% | Revenue $203.9 million missed the $211.5 million estimate by 4% |
| MND.AU | -11.96% | FY27 called a consolidation year despite a 2% profit beat |
| SDR.AU | -10.99% | Opened 10% higher, reversed inside minutes on a softer result |
| LTR.AU | -8.68% | China lithium carbonate near a six-month low |
| PLS.AU | -6.03% | Same lithium pricing; the Ngungaju restart adds supply |
Notable announcements
- RBA minutes for the 11 August meeting, published today, show the board held the cash rate unanimously at 4.35% and explicitly considered a 25 basis point increase. Trimmed mean inflation rose to 3.6% in the June quarter.
- COL.AU reported $1.1 billion in annual profit and set aside $235 million to address worker underpayments.
- MND.AU lifted its full-year dividend 50% to 108 cents against the 102 cents expected, a 6% beat, on profit of $127.3 million.
- NAN.AU gross margin fell 130 basis points to 76.9%, while EBIT of $16.0 million beat the $14.5 million estimate by 10%.
At the AU close (16:15 AEST)
| Asset | Level | Change | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 futures | 7,685.25 | +0.20% | US cash market shut |
| Nasdaq 100 futures | 29,237.25 | +0.45% | NVDA.US reports after Wednesday's US close |
| US VIX | 15.72 | -0.82% | Down from 15.85 on Monday |
| Brent | US$91.50 | -0.73% | Second consecutive decline |
| Gold | US$4,698/oz | +0.01% | Near Monday's three-month high |
| AUD/USD | 0.71490 | -0.04% |
Next 24h catalysts (AEST)
- Wed, before the open: WOW.AU and WTC.AU report FY26 results, the two largest names on tomorrow's calendar.
- Wed, before the open: LYC.AU, PDN.AU, SFR.AU and CIA.AU report across rare earths, uranium, copper and iron ore.
- Wed, before the open: DRO.AU reports, having risen 7.44% today alongside EOS.AU.
- Wed: DMP.AU, FLT.AU, LOV.AU, NEC.AU, TAH.AU, WOR.AU, NWL.AU and HMC.AU also report.
- Thu 06:00: NVDA.US posts second-quarter numbers after the US close, after seven consecutive declines.
- Thu, before the open: WES.AU, QAN.AU, XRO.AU, MIN.AU, IGO.AU, S32.AU and RHC.AU report.
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