Australia stock market today: ASX 200 slips as rare earths tumble, RBA rate call looms

Australia stock market today: ASX 200 slips as rare earths tumble, RBA rate call looms

The S&P/ASX 200 closed down 0.07% at 8,927.5 after higher-than-expected inflation data pushed traders to adjust rate hike bets ahead of the RBA’s meeting next week. Tech and rare earth stocks fell, with Iluka dropping nearly 14% after flagging A$565 million in charges. Miners and energy shares gained on strong commodity prices. The Australian dollar hit a three-year high before easing.
3i Group share price jumps as Action sales pick up; £1bn GIC deal in focus

3i Group share price jumps as Action sales pick up; £1bn GIC deal in focus

3i Group shares surged 10.6% after reporting stronger January trading at Action and announcing a deal to raise its stake in the retailer to 65.3% via a share-funded transaction with GIC. Diluted NAV per share rose to 3,017 pence as of Dec. 31. Action’s like-for-like sales grew 6.1% in January after a slower 2025, with France recovering from earlier declines. The GIC deal is expected to close Jan. 30.
29 January 2026
AAOI stock cools in premarket after 21% surge as options heat up and insider files to sell shares

AAOI stock cools in premarket after 21% surge as options heat up and insider files to sell shares

Applied Optoelectronics shares fell 0.6% to $44.95 premarket Thursday after a 21% surge the previous day. Options trading spiked, with call volume quadrupling and implied volatility hitting 116.66%. Insider David Kuo filed to sell 12,000 shares worth about $540,671. Roughly 18% of the float remains short, drawing attention from traders ahead of the next earnings report.
29 January 2026
SAP stock dives 12% after cloud backlog jitters; €10 billion buyback doesn’t steady the shares

SAP stock dives 12% after cloud backlog jitters; €10 billion buyback doesn’t steady the shares

SAP shares fell about 12% in Frankfurt on Thursday, heading for their steepest daily drop since October 2020 after cloud backlog and 2026 revenue outlook missed expectations. The selloff erased roughly $150 billion from SAP’s value since its 2025 peak. Fourth-quarter revenue matched forecasts, but investors focused on weaker backlog conversion. SAP’s next updates are due February 26 and April 23.
IBM stock price jumps before the bell after earnings beat — what traders are watching next

IBM stock price jumps before the bell after earnings beat — what traders are watching next

IBM shares rose nearly 8% in premarket trading Thursday after fourth-quarter revenue and profit beat estimates, with the stock reaching $317.27. IBM reported $19.7 billion in revenue, driven by strong software and mainframe sales, and expects 2026 constant-currency revenue growth above 5%. Red Hat growth slowed to 10%. IBM will stop reporting its “AI book of business” metric separately next quarter.
Tesla stock steadies premarket as Musk’s $2 billion xAI bet meets a $20 billion spending surge

Tesla stock steadies premarket as Musk’s $2 billion xAI bet meets a $20 billion spending surge

Tesla shares rose 0.1% premarket to $431.46 after the company announced a $20 billion-plus 2026 capex plan and a $2 billion investment in Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI. Tesla will end Model S and X production, focus on Cybercab robotaxi and robotics, and reported Q4 revenue of $24.90 billion, down 3% year-on-year. Fourth-quarter deliveries fell 16% to 418,227 vehicles.
29 January 2026
ServiceNow stock slides nearly 6% premarket after strong 2026 outlook fails to calm deal jitters

ServiceNow stock slides nearly 6% premarket after strong 2026 outlook fails to calm deal jitters

ServiceNow shares fell nearly 6% premarket Thursday after a quarterly report and a weak 2026 outlook, trading at $122.27. The company reported Q4 subscription revenue of $3.47 billion and forecast 2026 subscription revenue up to $15.57 billion. The board approved an additional $5 billion for share buybacks, including a $2 billion accelerated repurchase. ServiceNow also closed a $7.75 billion deal for cybersecurity firm Armis.
Microsoft stock drops in premarket after record AI spend puts Azure payoff in focus

Microsoft stock drops in premarket after record AI spend puts Azure payoff in focus

Microsoft shares fell 5.7% to about $454 in premarket trading Thursday after its quarterly report highlighted a 66% jump in capital spending, mainly for AI infrastructure. Revenue rose 17% to $81.3 billion, with cloud sales up 26%. Investors expressed concern over rising costs outpacing sales growth and potential pressure on cloud margins from higher chip prices.
Meta stock price jumps after earnings — but $135 billion AI capex is the new battleground

Meta stock price jumps after earnings — but $135 billion AI capex is the new battleground

Meta shares surged nearly 7% in early Frankfurt trading after the company reported a 24% jump in Q4 revenue to $59.89 billion and issued a strong Q1 forecast. Meta raised its 2026 capital expenditure guidance to $115–$135 billion, citing increased investment in AI infrastructure. Operating margin fell to 41% from 48% a year earlier. Investors weighed robust ad sales against rising costs and regulatory pressures.
Aviva share price climbs as gilt yields hit a two-month high — what to watch before March results

Aviva share price climbs as gilt yields hit a two-month high — what to watch before March results

Aviva shares rose 0.5% to 637.8p in early London trading as ten-year gilt yields hit 4.569%, their highest since November. The Office for National Statistics will begin using supermarket checkout data for inflation from February, potentially trimming CPI by 0.03 points. Aviva’s full-year results are due March 5. The insurer expects a further update on its Solvency II capital model at that time.
29 January 2026

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