Australia stock market today: ASX 200 ends flat as Rio Tinto sinks on Glencore talks
Sydney, Jan 9, 2026, 22:51 AEDT — Market closed Australian shares ended barely changed on Friday, with Rio Tinto sliding 6.2% and dragging miners lower, while Codan jumped 16.8% to lead gainers. The S&P/ASX 200 edged down 0.03% at the close as oil prices firmed and the Aussie dollar held near $0.67. (Investing.com) The late-week drift masked a bigger question hanging over the market: whether Rio and Glencore can turn revived merger discussions into a deal that would reshape the global mining order. A tie-up would put copper — a key metal for power grids and data centres — at