ASX 200 rises 0.57% to 8,735.7 as property trusts gain 1.14% and tech falls 2.90%
ASX 200 close: 8,735.7 (+0.57%) Breadth: 111 advancers / 71 decliners (202-name large-cap sweep) Sentiment: bullish
The S&P/ASX 200 closed at 8,735.7 on 6 October 2026, up 49.3 points or 0.57%, its third straight gain, as banks, miners and property trusts rose while information technology fell 2.90%. WBT.AU lost 12.98% and ELS.AU 11.55% as drone, defence and data centre stocks fell. Westpac's consumer sentiment index dropped 4.7% to 80.4 in October, the first reading since the RBA lifted the cash rate 25 bp to 4.60% on 29 September.
What moved the index
The S&P/ASX 200 added 49.3 points, or about 57 bps, on 6 October 2026, with financials and materials supplying most of the gain.
- Financials: +0.73%, worth about 24 bps at a weight near 33%. CBA.AU rose 0.77% to $152.38 and MQG.AU 0.81% to $250.02, and the other three major banks gained between 0.56% and 0.78%.
- Materials: +0.91%, worth about 19 bps. BHP.AU gained 1.57% to $62.86, close to the A$62.27 its New York ADR implied overnight, and RIO.AU rose 1.09%. AAI.AU jumped 4.14% as aluminium prices recovered.
- Property trusts: the A-REIT index rose 1.14%, worth about 8 bps, after a 4.5% fall over the previous three sessions. ARF.AU gained 4.79% and SCG.AU 2.72%.
- Information technology: -2.90%, costing about 9 bps. WTC.AU fell 2.54% to $31.90 and XRO.AU 1.42% to $55.71.
Together, these four account for about 42 bps of gains against 9 bps of losses, a net of about 48 bps against the 57 bps index move. Health care (+0.63%, about 6 bps, with CSL.AU +0.95%) and utilities (+0.90%) cover most of the remainder, and advancers outnumbered decliners 111 to 71.
Session highlights
- 8,695.1 was the session low, reached in the first hour, 8.7 points above Monday's close. The index climbed to a high of 8,752.8 in the early afternoon and closed at 8,735.7.
- MP1.AU fell 5.70% to $21.01 and DGT.AU 6.94% to $2.28 as data centre operators lost ground, even after the Nasdaq set a record overnight.
- 4.32% was the fall in CDA.AU to $65.55, with DRO.AU down 4.16%, as drone and defence stocks joined the 11.55% drop in ELS.AU.
- MIN.AU rose 2.45% to $51.46 and PLS.AU 2.42% to $3.81 among lithium producers.
- 80.4 was Westpac's October sentiment reading, down from 84.4. More than 80% of respondents expect mortgage rates to rise again, and the Australian 10-year yield held near 5.4%.
Sector scorecard
- Best: A-REITs (+1.14%)
- Worst: Information Technology (-2.90%)
- Dispersion (best minus worst): 4.04 pts
- Materials (+0.91%) had the widest internal spread: BHP.AU +1.57% and AAI.AU +4.14%, against the All Ords Gold index -0.80% and TCG.AU -10.87%.
- Consumer Staples (-0.13%) fell even as MTS.AU gained 4.88%.
Top movers
| Ticker | Move | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| PYC.AU | +5.10% | Unannounced, likely flow-driven. |
| MTS.AU | +4.88% | Unannounced, likely flow-driven. |
| ARF.AU | +4.79% | A-REIT index +1.14% after a three-session 4.5% fall |
| HMC.AU | +4.53% | Unannounced, likely flow-driven. |
| AAI.AU | +4.14% | Aluminium prices recovered |
| WBT.AU | -12.98% | No price-sensitive news; IT sector -2.90% |
| ELS.AU | -11.55% | No announcement; drone peer DRO.AU -4.16% |
| EQR.AU | -11.39% | Fell after record September-quarter cash of $82 million |
| TCG.AU | -10.87% | Unannounced, likely flow-driven. |
| DGT.AU | -6.94% | Data centre stocks fell; MP1.AU -5.70% |
Notable announcements
- MQG.AU: an independent review found directors Hinchliffe and Lloyd-Hurwitz did not breach their duties in the audit tender process, according to a 2:58 pm statement.
- EQR.AU reported record cash generation on higher tungsten production for the September quarter; Euroz Hartleys said output in Spain and Australia beat its forecasts.
- GLS.AU launched a $482.7 million capital raise at $1.76 a share.
- DDR.AU entered a trading halt ahead of a proposed material acquisition; it last traded at $15.57.
At the AU close (16:00 AEDT)
| Asset | Level | Change | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 (cash) | 7,773.95 | +0.66% | Monday close; futures +0.20% at the AU close |
| Nikkei 225 | 70,786.52 | +1.20% | Closed |
| Hang Seng | 24,186.83 | +0.61% | Trading |
| Brent (December) | US$99.69 | -0.63% | OPEC+ held November quotas on Monday |
| Gold (December) | US$4,155.50/oz | -0.03% | All Ords Gold index -0.80% |
| AUD/USD | 0.6966 | -0.10% | US Dollar Index +0.08% to 102.25 |
Next 24h catalysts (AEDT)
- Tue 6 Oct 23:30: US international trade in goods and services for August.
- Wed 7 Oct 01:00: US services supplied through affiliates release.
- Wed 7 Oct 11:30: ABS building approvals for August.
- Thu 8 Oct (US time): FOMC minutes from the September meeting.
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