Sydney, March 2, 2026, 17:43 AEDT — The market has closed.
- Northern Star Resources finished Monday’s session 4.79% higher at A$31.73.
- Gold climbed, with investors moving into safe havens following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
- Next up: NST eyes its March 4 ex-dividend date, while traders await Friday’s U.S. jobs data.
Shares of Northern Star Resources Ltd (NST.AX) finished Monday 4.8% higher at A$31.73, as demand for Australia’s top gold miners picked up late in the session.
Spot gold shot up 1.37% to $5,349.44 an ounce, mirroring the surge in bullion, as U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran sent investors scrambling for cover. “The dynamic for gold is pretty positive,” said Kyle Rodda, senior market analyst at Capital.com. Reuters
Gold names rallied in local trading, with the All Ords Gold Index jumping 4.5% early and touching fresh highs. Evolution Mining and Resolute Mining stood out among the top performers.
A drop of roughly 0.9% in the Australian dollar versus the U.S. currency played a part as well. That decline tends to lift the local price of gold, since the metal is traded globally in U.S. dollars.
Even so, gold’s quick swings are on display again. City Index and Forex.com’s Fawad Razaqzada pointed out that “gold’s gains beyond that level could be capped by a … rebound in the U.S. dollar.” Reuters
Northern Star’s got another date to watch: the company goes ex-dividend March 4 for its interim A$0.25 payout. Investors on record by March 5 will see the money hit their accounts March 26.
The ex-dividend date marks when shares lose eligibility for the upcoming payout. Typically, prices take a hit—dropping about as much as the dividend. Still, big moves in gold or the currency can easily overshadow that adjustment.
After this week’s dividend, attention turns to Northern Star’s upcoming production report. The company is set to release March-quarter numbers on April 22. It runs mining and exploration operations in both Western Australia and Alaska.
The operational picture remains murky. In a January update, Northern Star pointed to isolated incidents late in the December quarter that dented gold sales, prompting a reduction in its full-year production target. The company also flagged that softer sales would likely push costs higher.
All eyes shift in the next session to gold and the dollar, with risk sentiment still fragile after the weekend’s escalation. Then comes Friday, March 6, when markets brace for the U.S. February jobs report—a release notorious for jolting rate bets and moving bullion prices.
