February’s stock market gains wiped out as war shows no signs of easing — as it happened

1h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 5:20amMarket snapshotASX 200: -1.0% to 8,851 pointsAustralian dollar: +0.4% at 70.31 US centsS&P 500: -0.6% to 6,830 pointsNasdaq: -0.3% to 22,749 pointsFTSE: -1.5% to 10,413 pointsEuroStoxx: -1.3% to 605 pointsSpot gold: +1.0% to $US5,128/ounceBrent crude: -0.9% to $US84.63/barrelIron ore: +1.5% to $US100.25/tonneBitcoin: -0.8% to $US70,569

Price current around 4:20pm AEDT

Live updates on the major ASX indices:

1h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 5:43amASX breakdown

The Aussie share market has ended the day down -1.0% to 8,851 points.

Of the major sectors, Academic & Educational Services finished at the top, while Basic Materials finished down the bottom.

ASX 200 sector summary (Refinitiv)

Of the stocks, 116 finished in the red, 9 unchanged, and 75 gaining.

Here is a look at the top movers, with Siteminder up the top +13.1%.

ASX 200 top movers (Refinitiv)

And here are the bottom movers, with Deep Yellow down nearly 12%.

ASX 200 bottom movers (Refinitiv)

The Aussie dollar is trading at about 70 US cents.

AMP Economist My Bui says tensions in the Middle East dominated global markets this week, in particular, the cost of oil.

“Rising oil prices, if persisted, have sparked fear of a global ‘stagflation’ scenario through two channels.

“One, higher commodity prices (with oil up to $150/bbl in case of a prolonged war) and supply disruption could raise household energy costs and manufacturing input costs, while reducing households demand for discretionary consumption.

 “And two, higher geopolitical risk and economic uncertainty will force households and businesses to delay big purchases, holding back investment plans while adopt higher borrowing costs.”

Let’s see what markets do next week.

Have a great weekend everyone and we’ll see you bright and early on Monday!

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1h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 5:43am

Record breaking F1 to bring in hundreds of millions to Victorian economy

F1 fans bring the heat and the cash. That’s according to documents from grand prix organisers, saying the event brought in more than $320 million to the Victorian economy from last year’s race.

As drivers rev their engines on the track in the coming week, economic wonks are also getting heated in the yearly tradition of debating whether the racing event is a net positive for the state’s economy.

Victorians will fork out over $1.7 billion to host the racing event for the next 10 years.

But the economic benefit is debated. The $320 million figure spruiked for last year doesn’t take into account the $100 million that goes into the event from government coffers.

As drivers go around in circles on the track, so too will the debate on whether it’s all worth it.

Loading1h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 5:18amASX closes in the red

The Aussie share market has ended Friday trading down exactly -1.0% to 8,851 points.

I’ll provide a breakdown shortly.

1h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 5:15am

Softbank seeks record $40 billion loan for OpenAI investment

Despite worries about an AI bubble, Japan’s SoftBank is reportedly seeking a $40 billion loan to invest in OpenAI, the maker behind ChatGPT, according to Bloomberg.

JPMorgan Chase & Co will be one of four lenders underwriting the loan.

Masayoshi Son, SoftBank’s boss, is known for his big bets, turning a US$200 million bet in Alibaba into US$200 billion at its peak, as well as investing almost $19 billion in the now defunct WeWork.

But investors are jittery about the tech stocks, worried about an AI bubble, with several large sell-offs in recent months, that have eventually stabilised.

Reported with Bloomberg.

1h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 5:00amASX 200 down 4% this week

As the week draws to a close, it’s worth noting that it’s been a shocker for the Australian share market.

The ASX 200 is down almost 4% this week.

Our Business presenter, David Chau, notes it’s the worst week for the Australian share market since April 2025 when Trump announced his liberation day tariffs.

And markets still haven’t closed…

2h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 4:51am

Wesfarmers predicts delays in fertiliser components

The war in Iran is already putting pressure on Australian industries; the chemical and fertiliser division of Wesfarmers said some shipments of ammonium phosphate cropping compounds and urea used in fertiliser would be delayed.

Oil and gas supplies have been the most affected by the war, but Iran also produces a significant portion of components used in Australian fertilisers.

The company sources natural gas feedstock domestically in Western Australia, but imports extra components from overseas.

Reporting with Reuters.

2h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 4:44am

Iran war raised stagflation concerns

Here’s another section I’ve grabbed from AMP’s weekly note — this time on stagflation concerns:

Rising oil prices, if persisted, have sparked fear of a global “stagflation” scenario through two channels.

One, higher commodity prices (with oil up to $150/bbl in case of a prolonged war) and supply disruption could raise household energy costs and manufacturing input costs, while reducing households demand for discretionary consumption; and …

two, higher geopolitical risk and economic uncertainty will force households and businesses to delay big purchases, holding back investment plans while adopt higher borrowing costs.

Australian exports revenues could also be impacted given lower global trade.

2h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 4:35am

AMP does an equities stocktake

Here’s an excerpt from the superannuation giant’s weekly note:

Since the coordinated attacks from Israel and the United States on Iranian sites on 28 February, global shares have been largely down (unsurprisingly!), albeit with divergence across regions:

US S&P 500 has barely moved and is only down by 0.7%  Chinese shares are down 1.2%Australian shares were in the middle of the pack, down 2.8% so far. On the other end, European shares have fallen by 5.7%Japanese shares fell 6.1% Korean KOSPI dropped by 10.6% over the five days 

2h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 4:23am

Buying the dip

Good observation, Sam.

Wall Street Futures are also tentatively higher.

Brokers have told the ABC that retail — or “mum and dad” — investors are buying in immediately following these very large dips in the market.

This is especially the case for the US stock market, and the Australian stock market often follows the US.

But we look to be seeing that phenomenon is Japan today too.

2h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 4:10am

Market snapshotASX 200: -1.0% to 8,846 pointsAustralian dollar: +0.5% at 70.39 US centsS&P 500: -0.6% to 6,830 pointsNasdaq: -0.3% to 22,749 pointsFTSE: -1.5% to 10,413 pointsEuroStoxx: -1.3% to 605 pointsSpot gold: +1.0% to $US5,131/ounceBrent crude: -1.0% to $US84.55/barrelIron ore: +1.5% to $US100.25/tonneBitcoin: +0.3% to $US71,098

Price current around 3:00pm AEDT

Live updates on the major ASX indices:

2h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 3:52am

Australian share market under pump

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is sharply lower today, dropping 96 points or 1.08% to 8,843.80.

Front and centre among market concerns is the Strait of Hormuz and the potential for energy supply disruptions to produce stagflation — rising inflation and slower economic growth.

The S&P/ASX 200 has lost over $100 billion in value, or 3.86% so far this week.

3h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 3:34am

ASIC making compliance inquiries on home loans

ASIC says it is “making broader compliance inquiries” after CommBank self-reported that almost $1 billion in home loans may have been obtained fraudulently.

The regulator is giving evidence to a Parliamentary Joint Committee, with ASIC Chair Joseph Longo fronting senators.

During questioning Senator Paul Scarr referenced a well-known 2015 movie starring Steve Carrell that depicted the 2008 financial crisis.

“Have you seen The Big Short?” he asked.

The Senator leant on the movie about the 2008 housing market collapse to ask the ASIC chair about the extent of home loan fraud.

“Yes, I have seen the movie”, Longo replied, who went on to say that this type of fraud was new “in an Australian context”.

The home loans were allegedly obtained with fraudulent documents created with AI.

ANZ, NAB and Westpac have also reported similar concerns about hundreds of millions of dollars in home loans.

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3h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 3:20am

Iron ore prices climbing amid restrictions from China

Iron ore prices have climbed today as major buyer China implements growing restrictions on buying new seaborne cargoes from its major supplier, BHP.

The moved sparked supply concerns which clearly outweighed falling demand with the most-traded iron ore contract on China’s Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) rising 0.85% to 768 yuan, or $111.21 a metric ton.

The benchmark April iron ore  on the Singapore Exchange advanced 1.03% to $101.05 a ton.

The latest restrictions have fueled fears about the availability of iron ore cargoes ahead.

BHP is the world’s third-largest supplier and seaborne cargoes account for a large share of its iron ore business.

At the same time there’s faltering demand amid lingering production restrictions at steel mills in North China, which is curbing price gains.

China has reiterated its pledge to tackle overcapacity in steel and other industries, according to an official report released during the annual parliamentary meeting.

– Reporting with Reuters

3h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 3:10am

Japan’s Nikkei drops on Middle East concerns

Japan’s Nikkei share average on Friday was on track for its steepest weekly percentage drop in almost a year.

It was prompted by concerns over the Middle East conflict, which caused investors to sell riskier assets.

As of 0219 GMT, the Nikkei 225 Index was flat after dropping as much as 1.4% earlier in the day, on track for its worst weekly percentage decline since April 4.

The benchmark index has lost nearly 6% so far this week.

Shota Sando, an equity market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory gave his view.

“The [markets’] biggest concern is the rise in crude oil prices,” he said.

“If it becomes clear that oil prices aren’t likely to head toward the oft-cited $100 a barrel level, that would probably bring a sense of relief and help stabilise sentiment.”

Reuters reports the U.S. Treasury department is expected to announce measures aimed at combating rising energy prices, including potential action involving the oil futures market.

– Reporting with Reuters

4h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 2:06am

Middle East impact on energy, petrol prices and inflation

If you’ve been wondering whether the situation in the Middle East will help or hinder energy prices Taylor Nugent, a senior economist at NAB, has offered his take.

He says while Australia is a net energy exporter, the impact of higher oil prices isn’t likely to offset the benefit to gas and coal exports.

“Higher oil and oil-derivative import prices affect Australian inflation quickly and broadly,” he says.

“In contrast, the offsetting boost from energy exports is slower, and more narrowly distributed.”

Taylor Nugent says based on current oil prices headline CPI is likely to peak more than 0.5ppt higher than previously expected.

Pain at the bowser will persist too, with retail fuel prices rising more than 15% in March if current prices stay the same.

So what does that mean for inflation? Well, it’s not great.

“The starting point for inflation is not favorable. [The Reserve Bank] will be paying close attention to inflation expectations,” he says.

There will also be secondary pressures from shipping and logistics rises, energy costs and impacts on food supply chains.

“While the possibility of weaker activity should provide some offset, the balance of risk remains tilted to additional RBA tightening relative to our base case of a 4.1% peak. “

5h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 1:37am

Farmers working hard

The latest labour stats from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show farmers worked the most hours of any group on the back of the spring harvest in 2025.

Overall the number of hours worked grew in 16 out of 19 industries.

The largest growth in hours worked was a 5.4 per cent rise in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector.

This rise was largely due to a strong harvest season and a bounce back from the 6.3 per cent fall in September quarter 2025.

The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector saw a 5.4% rise in hours worked in spring. (Supplied: Lara Smit)

Also doing well was rental, hiring and real estate services with filled jobs up 2.4% and hours worked up 0.8%.

The construction industry also saw the largest growth in the number of filled jobs, going up over the past year by 57,700.

“Construction is now the third largest employing industry in Australia, accounting for 8.2 per cent of total filled jobs in December quarter 2025,” Mr Crick said.

5h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 1:23am

15 million people employed in December

Nearly 100,000 extra people got jobs in the final quarter of 2025.

Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show the number of employed people rose 99,800.

“The number of employed people rose by 0.7 per cent in line with the 0.7 per cent rise in hours worked this quarter,” ABS head of labour statistics Sean Crick said.

Those with multiple jobs rose 0.4 per cent — some 976,400 people — but at the same time there were 9,800 fewer people with more than one job than the same quarter the year before.

“The number of job vacancies decreased over the quarter, while the proportion of vacant jobs remained stable at 2.0 per cent,” Mr Crick said.

5h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 1:15am

ASIC increasing monitoring of insider trading

Jasper Wells here at the Parliamentary Joint Committee’s session with ASIC in Sydney.

ASIC executive director Chris Savundra said the commission has increased monitoring of insider trading. The practice is “notoriously difficult to investigate and prosecute,” according to ASIC chair Joe Longo.

But the commission has said new technologies have made both insider trading and ASIC’s investigations “more sophisticated,” according to Mr Savundra. Since 2009, 47 people have been convicted for insider trading.

5h agoFri 6 Mar 2026 at 1:13am

Lunchtime market update

Hi everyone,

Alison Branley here taking over the business blog for this afternoon.

So far there have been a few gentle bumps on the ASX 200, down 1.32% at lunch to 8,822 points.

The Aussie dollar is flat at 70.20 US cents.

Spot gold is up slightly to $US5079/ounce.

Brent crude is up 3.6% at $US85.41/barrel.

And, Bitcoin is down a smidge (-0.3%) to $US70,925.