End of Day Report – Tuesday 18 August: ASX 200 closes down 3 - CSL jumps 17.3% BHP results cheer - COH jump - US Futures ease as oil and bond yields rise

The ASX 200 fell 3pts to 9,070 in a day dominated by results, with the two biggest contributors to the positive move being BHP, up 2.7%, and CSL, which knocked it out of the park, rising 17.3%.

The market was generally soggy across the board, with few exceptions, mainly focused on companies delivering results that beat expectations. The banks once again came under pressure, with CBA down1.4% and MQG falling 2.0%, while REITs also came under pressure as bond yields remained elevated.

Elsewhere in the industrials, WES dropped 0.7% and TLS fell 1.5%, while both WOW and COL were also in the doghouse. The tech sector was mixed, with WTC rising 2.6% and XRO gaining 0.8%, although TNE fell. Healthcare was the standout sector, with CSL beating expectations and investors happy to believe the company is finally back on track/ COH also had a good day following its results, rising 7.6%.

In resources, it was largely a day of rest, except BHP, which shot the lights out on the back of its increasingly buoyant copper focus, rising 2.7% following its results and an increase in the dividend. RIO fell 0.6%, while FMG was relatively unchanged. Lithium stocks gave back some recent gains, while gold miners also came under a little pressure, with EVN down 1.7% and NST falling 3.1%. Oil and gas stocks edged higher, with WDS and STO both better. Uranium stocks also continued their recent recovery, with PDN up 1.8% and BMN rising 4.7%.

Corporate news was, unsurprisingly, dominated by results and takeover activity. PME performed well following its results, while RWC was in focus following a bid from Brookfield, rising 24.7%. Canadian gold miner OceanaGold also launched a bid for AUC, sending the shares up 24.4%. EML Payments dived17.1%, despite shrinking its full-year net loss to $19.7m. SGM tumbled 11.0%, despite net profit more than tripling in FY26 to $289.1m. EQT jumped 21.6% on news that US private equity group TPG Global had made a $657.9m takeover bid. HUB lost 7.3% after reporting a full-year net profit of $120.2m, beating analyst expectations. Meanwhile, CGF rose 6.5% after flagging a $450m buyback, a special 1.5c dividend and reporting a net profit of $506m.

Nothing on the economic front.

Asian markets were mixed, with Japan down 2.1%, Hong Kong down 0.5%, China down 0.8%, and US futures were narrowly mixed, with the Dow down 114 points and the Nasdaq down 288. European markets poised to open lower. Yields rising across the globe. Gold down $21.

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