Stock Market in Australia Slightly Dips
The Australian market experienced a slight decline on Thursday, August 13, 2025, despite positive cues from Wall Street. The S&P/ASX 200 lost 8.40 points or 0.10 percent, with a current level of 8,835.30, while the All Ordinaries Index dropped 8.90 points or 0.10 percent, with a current level of 9,102.20.
The decline was mainly due to weakness in the utilities and financial sectors, which dragged the market down by about 0.6%. In contrast, the materials and healthcare sectors led gains locally during that session.
Market sentiment remained cautious due to uncertainties such as global economic data and potential impacts on trade. The Australian Dollar remained weak, pressured by lower manufacturing activity in China and subdued risk appetite, which influenced market mood negatively despite Wall Street gains.
While Wall Street indices closed higher—Dow Jones gained over 1%, and S&P 500 set new record highs—the local market did not fully follow due to the mixed sectoral performance and some ongoing domestic concerns.
Among the key companies to watch based on recent earnings and market activity were the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX: ASX), Origin Energy (ASX: ORG), and Pro Medicus (ASX: PME). Shares in ASX tumbled almost 8 percent due to the Treasurer's indication to end its monopoly and ongoing ASIC compliance inquiry.
In the resources sector, shares in Westgold Resources soared almost 6 percent after announcing expected higher gold production between 345,000 and 385,000 ounces in fiscal 2026. Meanwhile, Newmont added almost 1 percent, but Gold Road Resources edged down 0.2 percent and Resolute Mining lost more than 1 percent.
In the tech space, Afterpay owner Block, Xero, WiseTech Global, and Evolution Mining were edging up, while Appen was edging down and Zip was losing more than 1 percent. Northern Star Resources advanced almost 2 percent in the gold miners sector.
Oil stocks Beach Energy, Woodside Energy, and Origin Energy edged up, but Santos lost almost 1 percent. Crude oil for September delivery was down $0.96 or 1.47 percent at $64.20 per barrel.
Elsewhere, the French CAC 40 Index and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index both closed up by 0.2 percent. Among the big four banks, Commonwealth Bank and ANZ Banking were edging up, but National Australia Bank and Westpac were edging down. The Dow posted a more modest gain, rising 81.38 points or 0.2 percent to 44,193.12, while the German DAX Index rose by 0.3 percent.
There was also a threat of U.S. sanctions on Russia's oil exports after August 8 if it fails to end its attempt to annex Ukraine. The Nasdaq jumped 252.87 points or 1.2 percent to 21,169.42.
The weakness in the financial sector, as evidenced by the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) losing nearly 8% due to regulatory concerns, contributed to the decline in the local business and finance industry on August 13, 2025. Concurrently, positive cues from Wall Street, such as the S&P 500 setting new record highs, failed to significantly influence the Australian market's performance, highlighting a discrepancy between global and local industry trends.
