1h agoSun 17 Aug 2025 at 8:49pmMarket snapshotASX 200 futures: -0.6% to 8,843pointsAustralian dollar: +0.2% 65.04 US centsWall Street (Friday): S&P500 -0.3%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq -0.5%Europe (Friday): DAX -0.1%, FTSE -0.4%, Eurostoxx 600 +0.2%Spot gold (Friday): flat at $US3,337/ounceBrent crude (Friday): -1.5% to $US 65.85/barrelIron ore (Friday): flat at $US102.00/tonneBitcoin: +0.1% to $US117,518

Prices current at around 6:50am AEST

11m agoSun 17 Aug 2025 at 10:14pmNAB hit by more staff underpayment costs

NAB’s third quarter trading update has been weighed down by $130 million hit to its full year guidance over the remediation of staff underpayment.

NAB said its payroll review and remediation is ongoing and the total costs remain uncertain.

Since the review started six years ago, NAB has acknowledged $250 million in additional payroll costs in the financial years between 2020 and 2022.

NAB reported unaudited cash earnings on $1.77 billion across the third quarter, down 1% on the second quarter, and flat compared to the same period last year.

23m agoSun 17 Aug 2025 at 10:02pma2 Milk profit rises 21% to $203 million

The New Zealand-based, ASX listed a2Milk Company has announced a 21% uplift in full year profit to $203 million.

The jump was supported by increased sales across most of its markets including Australia/New Zealand (+10%) and the US (+22%).

The company said its China/Asia market stabilised with revenues rising 14%.

a2 will reintroduce its previously suspended dividend at 20 NZ cents per share.

34m agoSun 17 Aug 2025 at 9:51pm

Results calendar: BHP, CSL, Woodside & Goodman feature in a big week

It’s a very big week for corporate results this week featuring some of the bluest of bluechips including BHP, CSL and Goodman Group.

Some of the key reports will be:

Mon: Aurizon, BlueScope, GPT, Lendlease, Ampol

Tue: BHP, CSL, Challenger, Seek, Sims, Woodside

Wed: James Hardie, Stockland, Santos, Iluka, APA

Thu: Charter Hall, Domain, Brambles, Qube, Sonic Healthcare, Telix Pharmaceuticals

Fri: Helia, Zip Co, Latitude, Inghams

For more, here’s a detailed list lovingly curated by Steph Chalmers:

35m agoSun 17 Aug 2025 at 9:50pmGPT half year profit jumps 184%

The big real estate investment trust GPT has announced a 184% jump in interim net profit to $43.9 million.

The diversified REIT, with around $37 billion of assets across retail, office and logistics sectors, benefited from a $48 million increase in the valuation of its portfolio.

GPT said that it is currently enjoying an occupancy rate of 98.5%.

It will pay an interim distribution of 12 cents per security.

58m agoSun 17 Aug 2025 at 9:27pm

This week: Consumer sentiment post-rate cut, US Fed’s Jackson Hole summit

Australia:

Tue: Consumer sentiment (Aug)

Wed: Composite PMI (Aug)

International:

Mon: US — Housing market index (Aug)

Tue: US — Housing starts (Jul)

Wed: NZ — RBNZ rates decision

             CN — Loan prime rates decision

             US — Fed Reserve minutes

            UK — CPI (Jul)

Thu: US — Fed Reserve Jackson Hole summit starts, Composite PMI (Aug)

Fri: JP — CPI (Jul)

From a macro point of view, it’s a quiet week, with the key data releases coming in the “soft” category.

On Tuesday, the Westpac/Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment survey will capture last week’s interest rate cut from the RBA.

That, along with a de-escalation in global trade tensions, should see the index continue to rise, although it remains well short of the level where optimism outpaces pessimism.

The S&P Global composite index (Wednesday) combines both the Australian manufacturing and services sectors and has reported a continued acceleration of activity in recent months.

The index is now at its highest level in more than three years.

While activity jumped last month, rising cost pressures and slipping confidence was evident in the sub-indices. It will be interesting to see if that translates in lower activity in August.

Overseas, the data calendar looks a bit bare too.

The US Federal Reserve (Kansas City branch) holds its annual Jackson Hole Summit this week, hosting central bankers, policy makers and economists over three action-packed days.

This year the summit is discussing “Labour markets in transition”, however any commentary from Fed chair Jerome Powell on the trajectory of US interest rates will likely be of more interest to the investing community.

Across the ditch in New Zealand, the RBNZ is expected to keep cutting, lopping another 25bps of its cash rate, taking it down to 3.0%.

1h agoSun 17 Aug 2025 at 9:09pm

Wall Street rally halted by profit taking, ASX set to slide

After two weeks of solid gains, Wall Street paused for a breather on Friday.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq dropped 0.3% and 0.4% respectively.

The Dow eked out a small gain (+0.1%) thanks to one of its 30 component stocks, UnitedHealth, jumping 12% on news that Warren Buffett’s company Berkshire Hathaway was buying up its shares in a big way.

Over the week, US stocks gained 0.9%, but they were outpaced by the likes of Europe (+1.6%), China (+2.4%), Japan (+3.7%) and not to forget the ASX’s record-breaking run (+1.5%).

The ASX 200 closed on Friday at a new record high of 8,939 points after five straight days of record closes.

That said, ASX investors are likely to take some profits off the table, with futures on Friday evening pointing to a 0.6% slide this morning.

The US economic news on Friday was mixed.

Retail sales increased as expected, but consumer confidence and industrial production fell.

That was enough to maintain the solid betting on a September rate cut from the Fed and see a weaker Greenback, which gave the Aussie dollar a marginal leg up.

The global oil benchmark Brent Crude slipped about $US1/barrel (-1.5%) ahead of the Trump/Putin talks in Alaska.

Gold was little changed at $US3,337/ounce.

1h agoSun 17 Aug 2025 at 8:50pm

Good morning

 Good morning and welcome to another week on the ABC markets and finance blog.

Stephen Letts from ABC business team limbering up for a blow-by-blow coverage of the day’s events, where every post is hopefully a winner, but none should be construed as financial advice.

In short, it looks like the ASX’s opening manoeuvre will be a strategic retreat.

Futures trading points to the ASX 200 falling 0.6% this morning.

Companies due to release results before the bell include a2 milk, Ampol, Bluescope, GPT and Lend Lease.

NAB is expected to release its 3rd quarter trading update as well.

However, the big news of the day is likely to be in the Federal Court where Justice Michael Lee is expected to hand Qantas a substantial fine over the illegal sacking of 1,800 workers during the pandemic.

As always, the game’s afoot, so let’s get blogging.

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