Wednesday 27th May 2026
Daily Market Update: 27 May 2026
Market falls on Middle East tensions
The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) fell 0.4 per cent, or 34.20 points, to 8657.80 on Tuesday, with 10 of 11 sectors closing lower as oil prices rose following US strikes on Iran. Brent crude advanced 2.3 per cent to $US98.34 a barrel, although energy stocks weakened, with Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) down 0.1 per cent, Santos Limited (ASX: STO) falling 0.9 per cent after flagging lower capital expenditure, and Whitehaven Coal Limited (ASX: WHC) dropping 3.7 per cent as investors took profits.
ASX Limited leads financial sector weakness
Financials weighed on the market after ASX Limited (ASX: ASX) plunged 13.2 per cent in its worst session on record, following guidance for higher technology-related costs and capital spending. Major banks also eased after a bearish broker report, with National Australia Bank Limited (ASX: NAB), Westpac Banking Corporation (ASX: WBC), ANZ Group Holdings Limited (ASX: ANZ) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) all lower, while miners partly offset losses as BHP Group Limited (ASX: BHP), Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG), Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) and South32 Limited (ASX: S32) gained. Among other movers, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited (ASX: FPH) jumped 9.2 per cent, Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN) surged 18.6 per cent, Infratil Limited (ASX: IFT) fell 4.9 per cent, and Atlas Arteria Limited (ASX: ALX) rose 0.8 per cent after urging shareholders to reject IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s takeover offer.
Wall Street mixed as technology stocks rise
In the United States, the S&P 500 Index (NYSE: SPX) rose 0.6 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: IXIC) climbed 1.2 per cent to fresh record highs, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DJI) fell 118 points as investors monitored developments in the Middle East. Technology, industrials and materials led gains, with Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) surging 19.3 per cent after UBS Group AG (NYSE: UBS) raised its price target, while Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO) and Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) also advanced. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) and Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) finished lower.
| Australian Indices | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| ASX 200 | -0.4 | 0.6 | -1.1 | -4.6 | 6.3 |
| Financials | -0.3 | 0.5 | -2.0 | -6.0 | 5.5 |
| Resources | -0.1 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 56.3 |
| Information Technology | -0.5 | -1.4 | -3.5 | -1.4 | -29.7 |
| Global Indices | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| US 500 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 3.9 | 7.3 | 14.4 |
| Europe | -0.1 | 2.5 | 3.0 | -1.3 | 6.8 |
| Japan | -0.5 | 1.5 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 16.4 |
| China top 50 | 0.4 | -3.2 | -3.2 | -4.9 | -7.4 |
| India top 50 | 0.7 | 1.8 | -0.6 | -9.8 | -20.9 |
| Fixed Interest | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| Australian Treasury Bond | -0.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Australian Corporate Bond | -0.2 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.1 |
| US Treasury | -0.2 | 0.5 | -0.6 | -1.7 | 3.4 |
| Cash | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 3.9 |
| Commodities & Crypto | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| Gold | -0.4 | -1.1 | -4.9 | -13.8 | 22.2 |
| Silver | -1.2 | -1.5 | 0.8 | -13.3 | 105.9 |
| Crude Oil | 0.9 | -7.2 | 6.9 | 71.6 | 101.2 |
| Bitcoin | -0.5 | -0.1 | -1.3 | 13.4 | -36.8 |
