20m agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 11:34pmMarket snapshotASX 200: -0.3% to 8,475 pointsAustralian dollar: Flat at 70.84 US centsS&P 500: -0.3% to 6,606 pointsNasdaq: -0.2% to 22,090 pointsFTSE: -2.4% to 10,064 pointsEuroStoxx: -2.3% to 597 pointsSpot gold: -0.1% to $US4,643/ounceBrent crude: Flat at $US108/barrelBitcoin: -0.5% to $US70,111

Price current around 10:30m AEDT

Live updates on the major ASX indices:

29m agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 11:24pmASX opens lower

The Australian share market has opened lower this morning.

The ASX 200 index was down 0.3% to 8,475 by 10:30am AEDT.

54m agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 11:00pm

‘Huge dislocations’ in energy markets set to occur

Kyle Rodda’s morning note has just dropped, with the Capital analyst noting the swings in the brent crude price, which soared yesterday before dipping back down.

It’s currently at around US$107/barrel.

Here’s some of Kyle’s note:

“Ultimately, the crisis ends when the Strait of Hormuz is, first, re-open, whether by diplomacy or force, production in the Gulf is rebooted, with it all happening without any catastrophic damage to infrastructure that keeps capacity offline.

Unfortunately, Iran’s strategy appears to centre on keeping this from happening, at least for a protracted enough period, in order to inflict maximum pain on the global economy in an effort to deter future aggression.

In the meantime, huge dislocations in energy markets are likely to occur, with the costs unevenly distributed across the global economy. Policy whispers of export controls in the US have compounded the issue.

That added to a huge blow-out in the WTI-Brent spread yesterday to multi-year highs, before Israel’s diplomatic language and push back on export controls brought them back in.”

1h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 10:10pm

Conflict reaches ‘tipping point’ with lasting damage on the horizon

Capital Economics’ deputy chief emerging markets economist Jason Tuvey has penned a worrying note about the outlook not only for the Middle East economies he covers, but for the global economy more broadly.

“‘Extensive damage’ has been reported, with QatarEnergy’s CEO declaring that LNG export capacity will now be 17% lower over the next 3-5 years,” he notes of Iran’s attack on Qatar’s key LNG facility.

“Other facilities in the Gulf have also been targeted and Iran has said its attacks are not over yet.

“It now feels that we are at a tipping point in the war.

“Either events escalate further, leading to sizable and lasting damage inflicted on the region’s energy infrastructure and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed for an extended period. Or cooler heads prevail and a process of de-escalation begins.”

2h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 9:49pm

Small closing moves belie huge market volatility overnight

Like me, you might have looked at the closing figures for Wall Street, the ASX futures and oil and thought it was a quiet session overnight.

As Pepperstone’s Chris Weston explains, nothing could be further from reality.

“It has been a session many won’t forget anytime soon, with massive range expansion seen across many of our key markets,” he notes.

“The standout move has been in Brent crude, which reversed sharply from a high of $US119.13, falling nearly 13% and trending lower through most of late European trade and into the US session. Brent futures traded an impressive $US15.37 range on the day, underlining the scale of the move.

“Across FX [foreign exchange], ranges have also expanded notably. GBPUSD printed a 221-pip [basis point] range, the largest since 4 April 2025. EURUSD saw a 173-pip range, the third largest of the year.

“Gold has been another key focus, with client flows notably strong. The yellow metal traded a $US364 range, the fifth largest of the year and well above its 15-day range average, with an elevated 296k gold futures traded on the day.”

So while things settled back down by the end of US trade, there was plenty of action on markets overnight as investors weighed up damage to energy infrastructure and comments from both Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and US president Donald Trump.

2h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 9:34pm

AUD just under US 71 cents after ‘volatile night’

CBA’s currency analysts are warning about a “sharp fall” in the Aussie dollar against the greenback, as the war in the Middle East continues.

Our currency is currently trading around 70.83 US cents, after what CBA describes as a “volatile night” of trading.

Here’s their morning note:

A sharp rise in AUD/USD in early Asian trade followed a joint statement from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan expressing their readiness to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz. 

News around the war and energy prices will drive AUD/USD into the weekend.  We caution that AUD/USD is a risk of a sharp fall if the situation deteriorates and markets substantially downgrade the global economic outlook

2h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 9:09pm

Energy minister comments on Malaysian oil supply

There have been reports in Australian media overnight suggesting Malaysia is warning about disrupted oil supply to Australia. 

Malaysia is a major importer of crude oil from the Middle East, which it refines and then exports to markets like Australia. As we know, about 20% of the world’s oil supply has been choked off as the Middle East war continues.

The Minister for Energy, Chris Bowen, has been asked about the Malaysian reports on ABC’s Radio National, and he’s replied describing Malaysia’s statement to media about supply to Australia as “broad” and “general”.

“It wasn’t a particular announcement that they were taking any particular action,” he’s said.

“The Malaysian government has taken no action to threaten the supply of fuel to Australia, and all the ships that we’ve expected to arrive have arrived.

“But we continue to engage with them.”

3h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 8:44pm

ASX futures trading basically flat

Despite a dip on Wall Street overnight, and heavier losses on European indexes, futures for the ASX 200 are trading basically flat right now at -0.06%.

The ASX 200 has lost about 1.5% over the last week as the war in the Middle East continues, and supply shocks from curtailed oil supply reverberate through the global system.

3h agoThu 19 Mar 2026 at 8:35pm

Oil trading around $US107/barrel as strike risks continue

Good morning!

Oil prices have dropped down significantly since another spike this week, with a barrel of brent at around $US107.

The drop is coming as US president Donald Trump and Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu comment on oil prices and strikes on infrastructure, as the war in the Middle East rages on.

Meanwhile, US markets have dropped overnight, with the Dow down about 0.4% and the Nasdaq faring slightly better. Europe had a worst session, with some steep losses.

You can read more on Trump and Netanyahu’s comments in another ABC News live blog over here.