SYDNEY, Feb 8, 2026, 16:48 AEDT — Market closed.
BHP Group shares are back in focus for Monday after Tropical Cyclone Mitchell strengthened off Western Australia and shut a string of Pilbara ports, including Port Hedland. The storm was upgraded to Category 3 with gusts of up to 195 kph, and forecasters said it could make landfall late Sunday or early Monday.
That matters now because the Pilbara is the main export route for BHP’s iron ore, the miner’s biggest earner. If the shutdown drags on, cargo schedules slip, traders start pencilling in missed tonnes, and prices can jump around even before anyone counts the damage.
It also lands just days before BHP’s half-year results, a moment when investors tend to look hard at volumes, costs and cash returns. BHP has scheduled its results for Feb. 17.
BHP’s Australian-listed shares last closed at A$48.79 on Friday, down 3.12% on the day.
The slide came as broader risk appetite frayed, with miners among the hardest hit as investors pulled back from cyclical names. “Global risk sentiment weakened sharply overnight as investors rotated out of high-multiple and cyclically-exposed sectors,” said Marc Jocum, senior product and investment strategist at Global X ETFs. Indo Premier Sekuritas
Pilbara Ports began clearing Port Hedland and four nearby ports on Friday as the system accelerated, warning that “gales are expected over the southern quadrants from tonight”. Reuters
In New York, BHP’s U.S.-listed shares ended Friday at $69.64, up about 0.8%.
With markets shut for the weekend, the near-term trade is simple: how fast do the ports reopen, and what does the clean-up look like. Even short stoppages can snarl shipping queues, while a longer closure starts to bite into monthly export plans.
But cyclone tracks change, and the shutdown could prove brief if the system weakens offshore or misses key infrastructure. In that case, BHP’s share price may snap back to the usual drivers — iron ore prices, China demand signals and whatever the company says about costs and spending.
