The ASX has started the first day of the new trading year flat.
The S&P/ASX 200 was little changed at 8712 in the opening hour, as weakness in US markets and declines in precious metals weighed on miners and technology stocks. The subdued start followed losses on Wall Street’s final trading day of 2025, while US futures pointed to a modest rebound later tonight (AEST).
Market focus is expected to shift to domestic data next week, particularly monthly inflation figures, which investors will watch for clues on the outlook for interest rates.
Sector-wise, mining stocks were down 0.5% and tech stocks fell 0.9%, tracking the Nasdaq. Energy was the strongest sector, rising 0.5% despite softer Brent crude prices amid oversupply concerns.
In company news, Northern Star Resources fell 8.8% after downgrading annual production guidance due to issues at its Kalgoorlie mine. Nickel Industries jumped 7.8% after Korea’s Sphere agreed to take a 10% stake in its Indonesian HPAL project. Mesoblast gained about 3.7% after announcing a chair transition following a narrowly avoided shareholder strike, while Judo Capital rose 5.2% after reaffirming its FY26 profit guidance of around $185 million.