Sydney, January 26, 2026, 21:48 (AEDT) — The market has closed.
- Australian shares remain closed for the Australia Day holiday, with trading set to pick up again on Tuesday.
- On Friday, the ASX 200 wrapped up 0.13% higher, finishing at 8,860.1 points.
- All eyes turn to Australia’s inflation numbers on Jan. 28, followed by the U.S. Fed’s next move.
Australian shares didn’t trade Monday, with the ASX closed for Australia Day. On Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 finished 11.4 points higher, up 0.13%, at 8,860.1.
The holiday lull puts extra pressure on Wednesday’s consumer price index (CPI) release — the main inflation gauge. It’s scheduled for 11:30 a.m. AEDT, coming on the heels of last week’s unexpected drop in the unemployment rate, which has markets speculating if the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will hike again in early February.
Offshore rates will carry much of the load for now. The U.S. Federal Reserve is set to meet Jan. 27-28, with Reuters columnist Mike Dolan pointing to politics and central bank independence as likely key issues. Morgan Stanley’s Seth Carpenter dismissed any sharp shifts in the Fed’s “reaction function.” Gold has already forced its way into the spotlight, hitting a fresh high of $5,110.50 an ounce on Monday and last rising 2.2% to $5,089.78. Capital.com’s Kyle Rodda described this as a “crisis of confidence in U.S. assets,” while Metals Focus director Philip Newman predicts prices could top out “around $5,500” later this year. Federal Reserve
The final cash session in Sydney edged up slightly, driven mainly by tech stocks. MarketIndex data revealed the All Tech index climbed 2.23%, while the information technology sector surged 3.83% on Friday. Despite this, the benchmark closed the week down 0.49%.
Life360 stole the spotlight, jumping more than 27% after boosting its 2025 revenue forecast to $486 million-$489 million and raising its adjusted EBITDA target to $87 million-$92 million. CEO Lauren Antonoff described the quarter as the company’s “strongest operational performance,” highlighting record monthly active users—an indicator of app engagement. markets.businessinsider.com
DroneShield dropped 5.5%, marking the steepest fall among ASX 200 stocks, according to the ABC. Regis Resources climbed over 10%, pushing gold-related shares higher ahead of the break.
Guzman y Gomez announced that Uber Eats will be its sole third-party delivery partner in Australia starting Feb. 22. The fast-casual chain noted this move continues a nine-year partnership with Uber Eats.
Yet calm can vanish fast once trading kicks back in. If Wednesday’s CPI comes in hot, rate-sensitive stocks could take the initial hit; and if gold slips after this week’s rally, miners might lose their usual cushion.
After the CPI release, all eyes turn to the RBA’s February policy decision, set for 2:30 p.m. AEDT on Feb. 3. A media conference will follow an hour later at 3:30 p.m.
The initial test comes Tuesday, when Sydney markets reopen. Expect gold miners and tech stocks to drive early moves. Then, eyes shift to Jan. 28, with the CPI release and the Fed’s decision poised as key events for Australian shares.
