Australia

Ampol, Australia's largest?fuel retailer, reported a better-than expected annual profit? on Monday. This was driven by robust refiner margins at its lytton refinery in Queensland and a strong performance of its convenience retail operations. The refinery returned to profitability in fiscal year 2025 as a result of the Lytton refinery's margins, which rose by 46%, to $10.34 a barrel. This was due to global refinery failures and additional sanctions against?Russia. Fuel & Infrastructure, including its Lytton refinery business, reported full year operating earnings of A$405.6 (287.04 millions), which is more than double what it earned last year. Despite lower tobacco...

The Federal Court of Australia fined Mobil Oil Australia A$16 Million ($11.3 Million) for misleading claims made about fuel sold in petrol stations?in Queensland, said the country's competition regulator on Tuesday. Exxon Mobil owns Mobil Oil Australia, which supplies fuels such as petrol, diesel and other products to retailers in Australia. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission took the local unit in 2024 to court. They claimed that the company misled its customers regarding fuel sold at six of their branded petrol stations located in Queensland. ACCC stated that Mobil acknowledged on Tuesday it had falsely claimed to consumers between...

Ampol, Australia's largest fuel retailer, forecast higher full-year earnings?Wednesday. This was supported by solid gains at its convenience retail arm and New Zealand operations. It also reported higher quarterly output. New South Wales based firm, whose EBIT is expected to reach around A$945 ($662.35 millions) in fiscal year 2025. This is up from A$715.2 (A$715.2) million the previous year. The full-year EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation) is expected to be around A$1,435million. Retail convenience volumes fell to 889 million (ML) litres in the fourth quarter, from 864 ML one quarter earlier. New Zealand volumes also dropped to 984...

On Tuesday, Australian shares recorded their worst session for over a week as rate hike fears shook heavyweight financials. Meanwhile, miners dropped after BHP warned that long-running negotiations with China's largest iron ore buyer are putting pressure on prices. The S&P/ASX 200 index closed at 8,815.90, a 0.7% decline. This is the steepest drop in a single day since December 15, 2025. Financials dropped by 1.1%. The four largest banks declined between 0.9% and 1.8%. According to Philip Pepe?, senior equities analysts at Shaw and Partners, the sector is losing momentum as investors are rotating out. He said that lower...

Coal India, which is focused on coking coal, has been scouting for partnership opportunities to mine rare-earth metals in?Australia and Russia as well as Argentina, Chile, and several African nations, said a senior?executive from its unit. This move follows China's decision to restrict exports of rare-earth materials late last year. The restrictions threaten operations in industries such as autos and electronics, which rely on these?critical minerals. "In our own country as well as in other countries, we will?invest. We are going explore. We are also working with other companies to find rare earth metals. Manoj Kumar Agarwal, Chairman and Managing...

Customs data revealed that China's coal imports in December rose to a "record monthly high" due to winter stockpiling and rising domestic prices. According to the General Administration of Customs, imports in December reached a monthly record of 58.59?metric tons. This is a sharp rebound from'supply constraints caused by major exporters Indonesia Australia and Russia in November. Buyers stock up on coal in anticipation of the coldest months, when heating demand drives consumption higher. A government index also showed that domestic coal prices rose to nearly a year high by the end of November. This would have led buyers to...

Australian shares recovered early losses and closed little?changed? on Thursday. Gains in heavily-weighted miners offset?a??drop? in top oil & gas producer Woodside Energy, after its CEO announced a surprising move to lead BP. After a three-day decline, the S&P/ASX 200 Index fell up to 0.4% and closed unchanged at 8,588.20. The main index, however, was on track to end its last full trading week in 2025, with a 1.3% drop, as sticky inflation and strong economic growth shattered expectations of future interest rate reductions. The markets now expect the central bank to make its next move upwards in the second...

The British Financial Reporting Council announced on Monday that it has opened an investigation into Ernst & Young’s audit of Shell’s 2024 financial reports for possible violations of audit partner rotation regulations. Shell announced in July that it would update the 2023 and 2024 annual reports, due to EY not complying with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s audit partner rotation rules. The financial statements, however, would remain unchanged. U.S. SEC regulations require 'lead and review audit partners' to rotate every five years, with a cooling-off period of five years. 'Other key partners must rotate every seven?years after a two-year...

SolGold announced on Friday that it would "recommend to its shareholders, Jiangxi copper?an improved offer?valuing the gold and copper mining company at approximately?842?million pounds? ($1.13 billion) amid a worldwide race for copper assets. Jiangxi Copper has increased its offer to 28 pence per Share, marking the third time that it has proposed to buy SolGold. This is a 7.7% rise from their previous bid of 26 pence per Share which was rejected last month. SolGold, a company based in Ecuador, said that its board will tell shareholders to accept Jiangxi Copper's (JCC) offer if it is firm. JCC's pursuit for...

The Australian government released on Thursday its first offshore oil and natural gas acreage available for auction since 2022. The five areas are located in the Otway Basin, offshore of?Victoria in Commonwealth waters. They were announced a day after?the Victorian Government offered state waters for companies to bid on. In 2020, over 40 areas - most of them in the north - were put up for bids. By 2022, there were only 10. Canberra hopes that the offer will prevent a future shortage of gas on Australia's east coast. Madeleine King, Resources Minister, said: "Exploration will be key to meeting...

The General Administration of Customs reported on Monday that coal imports from China, the largest buyer in the world, dropped 20% from their record high of the previous year. Imports in November, at 44.05 millions metric tons, were up by 6% compared to 41.74 tons in October. Imports in November of the previous year had reached 54.98 millions tons, a monthly record. The China Coal Transportation and Distribution Association's (CCTD) website reported in late November that although imported coal has a slight price advantage, this arbitrage has decreased as domestic coal prices have fallen. CCTD stated that due to supply...

Investors said that BHP should focus on its own growth strategy and move away from Anglo American, following the Australian firm's last minute appeal to the London listed company, which is close to a $60 billion deal with Canada's Teck Resources. In recent days, the world's biggest miner contacted Anglo's board to determine if there was any interest in a merger. This was reported by Sunday. BHP announced on Monday that it would not pursue the bid, but instead focus its efforts on growth. The decision to leave comes before the votes of Teck and Anglo shares - scheduled for...

The war between the U.S. & Iran is likely to cause a prolonged disruption in Middle East aluminium imports, which will hit European and U.S. consumers the hardest. This is because they are heavily reliant on this region for supply. The U.S.,?Israel and other countries attacked Iran on Saturday in a move which could result in the closure of Strait of Hormuz. This important trade route was disrupted due to Iranian attacks against U.S. military base. The impact of sustained disarray will be significant According to BNP Paribas commodities analyst David Wilson, the Arabian Gulf has around 7 million tons...

Malaysia has renewed Lynas Rare Earths’ operating license?for ten?more?years?to 'import raw material containing natural radioactive materials and process rare Earths,' the Australian miner announced on Monday. By 0131 GMT the shares of Lynas had risen as much as 7 % to A$20.30, their highest level since October 21, 2025. The benchmark ASX 200 index was down around 0.5%. Lynas, who is the Malaysian Department for Atomic Energy, said that they are expected to issue a?formal license soon. The Southeast Asian country raised concerns about the radiation levels?from the cracking and leaching process, raising fears that Lynas?license would not be renewed....

BlueScope Steel shares in Australia fell almost 5% on Thursday, after the company said that a re-evaluated A$15 billion bid ($10.7billion) from SGH and U.S. based Steel Dynamics was not enough to win its approval. BlueScope said that it "remains" open to engaging with consortium in order to come up with a bid which reflects the "fair value of BlueScope", as opposed the the revised A$34 offer per share. After a $1 special dividend announced in January, and BlueScope’s A$0.65 interim dividend per share, the value of this bid has been reduced to A$32.35. BlueScope said that it plans to...

Australian shares eased Friday. Rio Tinto shares were the main drag, as they missed expectations due to their flat annual earnings. QBE Insurance, however, limited losses by 'beating profit estimates. By 2342 GMT, the?S&P/ASX 200 Index fell?0.2%?"to 9,069.1?points. The benchmark index rose by 0.9% on Friday. Anglo-Australian Rio Tinto fell as much as 4%. On Thursday, after-market hours the world's biggest iron ore producer posted a profit that was below estimates because of a weaker performance in?iron ore, but copper performed well. Gold stocks surged as bullion prices rose on overnight geopolitical tensions, resulting in a 0.4% rise for the...

Newmont beat Wall Street expectations for the fourth quarter profit, as a record rally boosted gold prices and offset lower production. The company also announced that it would spend $1.4 billion on developing assets acquired by its acquisition of Newcrest. After-market trading saw shares of the largest gold mining company in the world rise 2% to $127.96. In recent months, gold prices have reached multiple records, due to expectations of U.S. interest-rate reductions, increased geopolitical tensions, and economic uncertainty. The yellow metal's price averaged $4.135 per ounce during the last three quarters of 2025. This is up 56% compared to...

London's FTSE 100 fell from its record highs on Thursday as Rio Tinto shares dropped after the global mining company's earnings missed expectations. Meanwhile, simmering tensions between the U.S. and Iran kept investors wary. Blue-chip index dropped 0.5%, after two consecutive sessions of closing at record highs. The mid-cap FTSE 250, which is primarily focused on the domestic market, was down by 0.4%. Rio Tinto dropped 3.6% following the miner's?reporting flat annual earnings. Lower prices at its iron ore business, its mainstay, were offset by a strong performance?in its copper division. Other London-listed companies also fell as copper prices were...

Australian shares rose Thursday, after the top business lender, National Australia Bank led banks to record high levels after recording a higher profit a day earlier. Meanwhile, miners boosted overall gains as commodity prices trended upward. S&P/ASX 200?index?rose 0.8% at 2333 GMT and is now a little closer to its record high of 9,115.20. The benchmark index rose by 0.5% on Tuesday. After posting better quarterly profits, National Australia Bank extended its gains and reached?its highest level ever. The "Big Four" lenders were followed by the rest, who gained between 1.4% to 2.3%. The top lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia...

The Australian Environment Ministry announced on Wednesday that the U.S. aluminum company Alcoa would pay A$55,000,000 ($38.9,000,000) to remediate native forests it illegally removed in Western Australia?in order to mine bauxite. The payment is for nearly 2,100 hectares (5.190 acres) in Northern Jarrah Forest south of Perth that will be cleared without government approval between 2019 and 2025. The Ministry called this payment "unprecedented", as it was the largest ever made. It said that the money would be used to fund initiatives aimed at conservation, including programmes to protect endangered black cockatoos who nest in jarrah tree nests and improve...

These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. These stories have not been?verified' and we cannot vouch for their accuracy. U.S. steelmaker Steel Dynamics and?Australian conglomerate SGH have submitted an offer that valued BlueScope Steel's equity at approximately $11 billion. They said they would not raise the price unless another bidder emerged. Warner Bros. Discovery announced?on Tuesday that it would restart deal negotiations with Paramount, setting the stage for a possible bidding war between Netflix and its preferred suitor. Paramount sweetened last week its hostile $77.9billion all-cash offer for Warner Discovery including its cable channels CNN and...

Japan's Nikkei stock average fell on Tuesday as the post-election euphoria waned and U.S. Presidents' Day'market holiday' left 'investors' with 'few' trading 'cues. As of 1300 GMT, the Nikkei Index was down by 0.6% to 56,451.43, extending its slide for a 4th consecutive session. The Topix index fell 0.4% to 3,771.16. Ryotaro?Sawada is a senior analyst at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory. The price movement seems to be primarily driven by technicals and demand-supply. The post-general-election rally from last week, following fiscal dove Prime Minister ?Sanae Takaichi's landslide victory, also appeared to fade, ?he added. SoftBank shares fell 4.6%. They were...

BlueScope Steel, the Australian target for a takeover bid, forecasted on Monday higher second-half earnings. It also reported a first-half profit that was above expectations. Spreads, increased volumes in key markets and cost-effectiveness are the main factors that helped BlueScope Steel, a target for takeover, to forecast higher second-half earnings on Monday. The steelmaker anticipates that the second-half earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) will be between A$620 and A$700 ($437.72 and $494.20 millions). BlueScope's six-month period ended December 31 saw underlying EBIT at A$557.5m and underlying Net Profit after Tax (NPAT) at A$382m, which is more than double the...

South32, an Australian diversified mining company, reaffirmed that it would put its Mozambique aluminum plant on care and maintenance in the next month after a drought affected power supply. It posted a first-half profit higher than analysts' expectations on Thursday. The announcement comes just days after Mozambique Energy Minister Estevao Palae stated that "the government will do everything required to ensure that the (Mozal ) plant does not go into maintenance." South32 took a $372-million impairment last year on its business due to the impact of the drought on Mozambique’s hydroelectric power utility. South32 was unable to reach a deal...