Wall Street rallied to record highs overnight after a surprisingly strong US jobs report cheered investors, who shrugged off dimming chances for a US interest rate cut this month.
The local share market has rallied to close at its highest level after lacklustre retail sales data seemed to seal the deal for a domestic interest rate cut.
The Australian bourse has had a cautious start to the new financial year, with shares giving up their morning gains in the afternoon to finish basically unchanged.
The Australian share market has finished higher to round out 2025/26 with a respectable double-digit gain for the financial year, while its quarterly performance was the best since 2020.
Strong gains by the mining sector haven't been enough to keep the Australian share market in the green, while the dollar has climbed to its highest level of 2025 against its faltering US counterpart.
The Australian share market has dropped slightly as traders' attention shifts from the conflict in the Middle East to US President Donald Trump's looming deadline for reciprocal tariffs.
The Australian share market has rallied as Middle East tensions ease, with Iran's retaliation against the US largely symbolic and news of a ceasefire between the Islamic Republic and Israel.
Challenging market conditions, and significant impairments with its KFC Netherlands operations, led to ASX-listed Collins Foods' statutory profit down 88.5 per cent in FY25.
Wall Street rallied overnight as prospects of the US Federal Reserve cutting interest rates as early as July offset uncertainty about turmoil in the Middle East.
Discount electronic and whitegoods retailer The Good Guys will pay almost $14 million, under an agreement with the competition watchdog to resolve federal court proceedings.
