ASX:XJO close
9,083.80
A 30-point rebound ended six falling sessions. The index remains 212.9 points, or 2.3%, below its August 6 record.
5D −1.30%1M +3.16%YTD +4.07%
S&P/ASX 200 Rises 0.3% After Weaker Jobs Ease Rate Fears; Gold, Tech Outperform
The S&P/ASX 200 finished 0.3% higher on Thursday, breaking a six-session losing streak, as weaker employment figures eased the likelihood of an imminent rate hike. The index settled at 9,083.80.
Australia market close
S&P/ASX 200 +0.3%
Data checked 20 Aug 2026, 18:45 AEST (UTC+10)
Market closed
Market closed
Jobs data cooled immediate RBA pressure
Unemployment4.5%4.4% forecast
Employment−15.8k+15k forecast
Full-time jobs+16.3kQuality held up
Hours worked−0.6%Month on month
AUD/USD0.7111−0.2% reaction
RBA cash rate4.35%Held last week
Leadership was strong — and narrow
Analyst consensus
| Share | View | Avg target |
|---|---|---|
| EVN | Hold · 17 | A$12.69 |
| XRO | Buy · 14 | A$127.12 |
| WTC | Buy · 16 | A$65.16 |
Consensus supports software upside, but target ranges remain wide. That signals high earnings and valuation uncertainty.
Investor read: constructive, not decisive. Softer jobs data lowers the odds of an immediate RBA hike. The 0.3% index gain recovered only about 12% of the gap from Wednesday's close to the August 6 record. Offshore inflation, oil and bond yields remain the main macro risks; company investigations add stock-specific risk.
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