Australia Stock Market Today: ASX 200 Stalls as Rio Tinto Gain Runs Into Energy Selloff
Australian shares closed nearly flat Tuesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 down 3.9 points to 8,949.40 as investors awaited U.S.-Iran talks. Rio Tinto rose after reporting a 9% jump in first-quarter copper-equivalent output, but energy stocks fell. Brent crude traded near $95 a barrel, and the Australian dollar slipped to $0.715. ANZ reported consumer confidence at 64.3, near record lows, with inflation expectations at 7.1%.