ASX 200 falls 0.40% to 9,127.8 as a hotter July CPI print erases a 51-point morning gain
ASX 200 close: 9,127.8 (-0.40%) Breadth: 99 advancers / 137 decliners across the 250 largest listings Sentiment: bearish
The S&P/ASX 200 closed at 9,127.8 on 26 August 2026, down 36.8 points or 0.40%, after the ABS monthly CPI indicator landed at 11:30 AEST showing prices up 1.0% in July against a 0.8% forecast. The index had been 51.4 points higher at 9,216.0 half an hour before that print and finished at its session low. WiseTech WTC.AU fell 10.07% to $40.89 on FY27 revenue guidance below consensus, while Lovisa LOV.AU rose 12.73% to $27.62 after flagging first-eight-week FY27 sales up 16.4%.
What moved the index
- Financials cost roughly 17 bps of the 40 bps fall. CBA.AU -0.99% is about 9 bps on its own, with WBC.AU -0.56%, ANZ.AU -0.22% and QBE.AU -1.13% behind it. Trimmed mean inflation held at 3.6% year on year, above the RBA's 2 to 3 per cent target band.
- Technology, the weakest sector at -3.47%, took out another 9 bps. WTC.AU -10.07% and XRO.AU -5.67% are roughly 8 bps of that between them. SDR.AU -8.53% fell a second session after its FY26 result.
- Energy, 8 bps, ran on the oil price. WDS.AU -3.27% is roughly 7 bps of it, tracking Brent 2.20% lower at US$85.35. WOR.AU -10.81% reported FY26 underlying NPATA down 16.8% to $395 million.
- Healthcare gave up 7 bps, most of it CSL.AU -0.69% on weight alone. NEU.AU -10.56% and NAN.AU -7.21% supplied the tail.
- Consumer staples added back about 6 bps, nearly all of it WOW.AU +3.42%. Uranium also firmed, with PDN.AU +5.10% and SLX.AU +3.72%.
Those four drags total near 41 bps against about 8 bps of staples and property offsets, which brackets the 40 bps the index lost. Breadth agrees: 137 of the 250 largest listings fell against 99 that rose.
Session highlights
The S&P/ASX 200 traded 9,216.0 at 11:00 AEST, its high for the day, then dropped 16.6 points in the five minutes covering the 11:30 CPI release and never recovered.
- 1.0% July monthly CPI beat the 0.8% forecast and marked the first monthly rise in four months. Annual headline inflation eased to 3.5% from 3.8%, still above the 3.2% consensus.
- AUD/USD rose 0.23% to 0.7180 on the print, its highest close in two weeks.
- Nikkei +0.62% at 66,262.16, Hang Seng +0.72% at 25,694.01 and KOSPI +0.97% at 6,808.21 all closed higher, leaving Australia the outlier in the region.
- 6 of the 25 largest single-name index contributions came from reporting-season reactions, in the final scheduled week of the August FY26 season.
Sector scorecard
- Best: Consumer staples XSJ (+1.83%)
- Worst: Information technology XIJ (-3.47%)
- Dispersion (best minus worst): 5.30 pts
- Energy XEJ -1.52%, communication services XTJ -1.38% and healthcare XHJ -1.21% filled out the losing side; utilities XUJ +0.53% and A-REITs XPJ +0.35% joined staples on the winning side.
- Materials XMJ closed flat at -0.01% on the widest internal spread of any sector. The All Ordinaries Gold Index rose 0.83% as PRU.AU gained 9.46% and PNR.AU 9.96%, while LYC.AU fell 3.92% and NST.AU 1.79%.
Top movers
| Ticker | Move | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| LOV.AU | +12.73% | FY26 revenue +17.6% to $938.8m; FY27 sales up 16.4% so far |
| PNR.AU | +9.96% | No company announcement; mid-cap gold miners rose |
| PRU.AU | +9.46% | New dividend policy; reserves up 40% on FY25 |
| EOS.AU | +6.24% | Second session up after 1H revenue rose 283% |
| NEC.AU | +7.18% | FY27 total TV costs guided flat |
| DRO.AU | -11.03% | H1 statutory loss $32.2m against $2.1m profit |
| WOR.AU | -10.81% | FY26 underlying NPATA -16.8% to $395m |
| NEU.AU | -10.56% | H1 result declared a first dividend; shares fell |
| WTC.AU | -10.07% | FY27 revenue guidance under consensus |
| SDR.AU | -8.53% | Second-day decline after FY26 result |
Notable announcements
- WOW.AU reported FY26 sales up 3.6% to $71.54 billion and profit before significant items up 15.4% to $1.60 billion, with the final dividend lifted 15.6%.
- WTC.AU posted FY26 revenue up 79% to US$1,395.9 million and underlying EBITDA up 56% to US$644.5 million, but statutory NPAT of US$178.7 million missed the US$195 million consensus by 8%.
- DMP.AU reported revenue down 11.2% to $2.05 billion and a statutory net loss of $134.2 million, and closed 6.37% lower at $18.80.
- SFR.AU lifted FY26 NPAT 294% to $354 million and rose 6.01% to $24.15.
- DRO.AU grew first-half revenue 74% to a record $125.8 million while underlying EBITDA swung to a $12.4 million loss.
At the AU close (16:15 AEST)
| Asset | Level | Change | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 futures | 7,685.75 | -0.08% | US cash closed +0.32% overnight |
| Nasdaq 100 futures | 29,220.50 | -0.19% | Nasdaq closed +0.66% overnight |
| US VIX | 15.65 | +1.29% | |
| Nikkei 225 | 66,262.16 | +0.62% | Closed |
| Hang Seng | 25,694.01 | +0.72% | Still trading |
| KOSPI | 6,808.21 | +0.97% | Closed |
| Brent crude | US$85.35 | -2.20% | Second session lower |
| Gold | US$4,689.70/oz | -0.10% | Holding a three-month high |
| Copper | US$6.721/lb | +0.10% | |
| AUD/USD | 0.7180 | +0.23% | Bid on the CPI beat |
Next 24h catalysts (AEST)
- Thu 09:00: SPI futures open. S&P 500 futures were 0.08% lower and Nasdaq futures 0.19% lower at the AU close.
- Thu 11:00: WDS.AU shareholder Q&A, following its half-year result on 25 August.
- Thu 11:30: ABS private new capital expenditure for the June quarter, plus monthly household spending.
- Thu: QAN.AU FY26 result, consensus NPAT $1,417.6 million and 38.9 cents per share.
- Thu: Final scheduled reporting day of the August FY26 season.
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