Sydney, Feb 23, 2026, 17:02 AEDT — That’s a wrap on today’s trading session.
- BHP finished higher, touching the top end of its 52-week range at one point in the session.
- Australian shares slipped as investors reacted to the latest pivot in U.S. tariff policy.
- Offshore risk appetite is coming to the fore, and investors are eyeing BHP’s dividend timetable, set for early March.
BHP Group Ltd wrapped up Monday at A$54.02, up 1.3%. The stock touched A$54.75 at its session peak, notching a new 52-week high. For the month, shares have climbed around 12%.
The shares surged, even as the S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.61%. Losses in IT, healthcare, and property investment stocks weighed on the index.
Markets took a hit after Washington sent out new tariff signals, shaking up risk appetite. Miners, though, stayed ahead and limited their losses compared with the rest. “While investors may attempt to digest and move beyond the announcement efficiently, the broader implications remain complex,” said Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone. mint
BHP shares jumped after last week’s half-year results, with underlying profit up 22%. Copper has overtaken iron ore as BHP’s biggest earner, and the company set an interim dividend at 73 cents a share. “They smashed everyone’s expectations from a dividend perspective,” said Andy Forster, portfolio manager at Argo Investments, which owns BHP stock. CEO Mike Henry isn’t feeling any urgent pressure to chase copper deals right now. Reuters
Still, the stock acts as a global growth bellwether, and the backdrop is as tangled as ever. Fresh tariff questions can jolt sentiment around industrial metals in a heartbeat. Copper or iron ore prices breaking the other direction would put this rapid rally to the test.
These days, overnight moves have been driving sentiment more than where local markets finish up. Wall Street futures and the dollar both slipped during Asian trading, as investors grappled with the Supreme Court’s latest position on Trump’s emergency tariffs. The follow-up ruling pushes what had been a “temporary” tariff up to 15%. “The tariff landscape is now more uncertain than before, uncertainty is not good news for any economy or market,” said Rodrigo Catril, senior FX strategist at NAB. Reuters
BHP shareholders are eyeing the interim dividend, with a lineup of dates to note. The ex-dividend date hits March 5 for both ASX and London-listed shares—anyone buying on or after then misses the payout. A day later, March 6, is the record date. Dividends are expected to reach investors on March 26.
Tariff headlines are firmly on traders’ radar, with any hint of escalation watched for potential risk-off swings outside the U.S.—and knock-on effects for copper and iron ore prices in particular.
