Sydney, Feb 20, 2026, 18:17 AEDT — The market is now closed.
Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) ended Friday down 3.7% at A$77.54, with Australia’s information technology sector off 2.4%. The S&P/ASX 200 edged lower by 0.05%. WiseTech Global lost 3.8%, and Megaport tumbled 11.8%. (Market Index)
Still, Xero shares slid, despite the company highlighting fresh AI-driven automation tools. Xero plans to launch its AI data capture and extraction for UK users in the first half of March, just ahead of the April 6 start for Britain’s Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, which will require digital bookkeeping and quarterly reports. “Data entry doesn’t have to be done manually any more,” said UK managing director Kate Hayward. (Xero)
Risk appetite held uneven beyond Australia as the weekend approached. Oil climbed to levels not seen in six and a half months following U.S. President Donald Trump’s 10-15 day ultimatum to Iran on its nuclear program. Traders also leaned into Nvidia’s earnings due next week. “Today seems like a good day to stay out of trouble,” Spectra Markets president Brent Donnelly remarked. (Reuters)
Timing is key for Xero holders. The stock serves as a barometer for appetite toward software-as-a-service names, with investors gauging how much they’re prepared to pay for companies banking on recurring subscriptions over single licence sales.
Xero shares bounced between A$76.95 and A$80.86 on Friday, still hovering close to the low end of their 52-week band—A$72.26 to A$196.52. At this level, the stock sits roughly 61% under its peak. (Investing.com)
The company’s main business is cloud accounting software, plus extras like payroll and payments. Lately, it’s been pushing the idea that AI can handle more routine jobs—think sorting receipts, picking out invoice details—but still keeps the product from feeling like just another commodity.
Monday’s open is set to show if that late-week drop was simple housekeeping or something more troubling. Oil prices, bond yields, and U.S. tech action are likely to steer sentiment, while local earnings numbers can quickly ripple through the market.
Still, there’s a nagging risk here. Should AI succeed in slashing bookkeeping costs and speeding things up across the board, software vendors could find themselves locked in a price war instead of battling over features.
Xero faces its own hurdles with payments and its U.S. push, as it works to expand the platform with Melio. If costs start to outpace the returns, that’s likely to weigh on the stock.
Xero’s FY26 results are due out May 14, and that’s when investors can expect more details about Melio and how the company’s doing stateside. (announcements.asx.com.au)
