Sydney, Feb 19, 2026, 17:06 AEDT — The session’s over.
- Shares of Commonwealth Bank of Australia ended the session 0.7% higher, settling at A$178.19.
- Australia’s jobless rate stayed put at 4.1% in January, leaving rate chatter on the table.
- The A$2.35 interim dividend from CBA is set to record on Feb. 19, with payment scheduled for March 30.
Shares of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) closed at A$178.19 on Thursday, up 0.7%. The stock picked up slightly following its ex-dividend move the day before. Year-to-date, the lender has gained around 11%.
CBA’s shift is having an outsized impact, as the heavyweight stock drags the local index with it—banks are back in the driving seat. The S&P/ASX 200 ended the session 0.9% higher, closing at 9,086 points. That’s just shy of a record, after trading danced near the milestone much of the day.
Rate bets took center stage after Australia’s jobless rate held steady at 4.1% in January, while employment increased by 17,800, according to Thursday’s release from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Ashwin Clarke, senior economist at Commonwealth Bank, sees the labour market picking up speed again, though he flagged the underlying trend remains “a little too tight” for inflation to land at the Reserve Bank of Australia’s target midpoint. Clarke pointed out these numbers were collected ahead of February’s 25-basis-point rate hike. CommBank
Dividend logistics also played a role. CBA’s interim payout stands at A$2.35 per share for the half-year through Dec. 31, fully franked under Australia’s imputation setup. The record date is Feb. 19, and shareholders see the payment on March 30. Shares lose entitlement—going “ex-dividend”—the session before the record, meaning buyers after that cut-off miss out. CommBank
The broader bank sector got a jolt. Shares of National Australia Bank surged to a record this week after the lender posted a 16% jump in first-quarter cash earnings. Citi analysts pointed to the capital ratio as the main weak spot in what was otherwise a robust set of numbers.
CBA hasn’t had its earnings spotlight yet. Back on Feb. 11, the bank posted a record first-half cash net profit after tax of A$5.45 billion. Net interest margin edged down 4 basis points to 2.04%—that’s the difference between interest earned on loans and paid on deposits.
The setup isn’t straightforward. Should higher rates hit harder, credit growth risks stalling and bad loans could start to rise. On top of that, aggressive mortgage rivalry continues to squeeze margins — not ideal for a stock already priced above its major bank rivals.
The dividend reset is out of the way. Now, attention shifts to inflation. The ABS releases January’s consumer price index on Feb. 25, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. AEDT.
Looking ahead, the focus shifts to the RBA’s policy statement due March 17 at 2:30 p.m. AEDT. Traders want to know if February’s action was just a blip—or if it signals a new direction.
