Australia / New Zealand

The current conflict in Iran could turn into a global crisis if major countries like the United States and China continue to make miscalculations, and retreat to narrow interests. The price of crude is a major focus of media attention. Brent crude futures, the benchmark, jumped as high as 20%, to $111.04 per barrel, the highest level since July 2022. The price of refined fuels like gasoline, diesel and jet fuel has risen even more than crude oil, but this is still not as alarming to consumers. Jet fuel was the main driver of the explosive increase in refined products...

The United States, China and other major countries are making miscalculations, and retreating to their narrow interests, which threaten to turn the conflict in Iran into an international crisis for the supply of refined oil products. The media focuses a lot on the price for crude oil. Brent crude futures, which are the benchmark, jumped up to 20% in the early Asian trading on Monday, reaching $111.04 per barrel. This is the highest level since July 2022. The price of refined fuels, such as gasoline, jet fuel and diesel, has risen even more than crude oil. These are the fuels...

Wesfarmers, the chemical and fertiliser division within the 'Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers, said on Thursday that it was possible some shipments of ammonium-phosphate cropping compound and urea could be delayed primarily due to?the Iran war. CSBP stated that it was "urgently assessing" its inventory levels and other supply options. The escalating conflict in the Middle East is causing shipping routes to be severely disrupted, which could limit supplies for 'key Asian importers as they prepare their cereal planting season. The company, based in Perth, is one of Australia's largest fertiliser suppliers. Western Australia has a strong agricultural sector and exports wheat....

Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen stated on 'Tuesday' that there was no need for consumers to be concerned about fuel shortages, despite the growing U.S./Israeli conflict against 'Iran. Bowen, a reporter, told reporters that Australia had 36 days' worth of petrol in reserve, 34 days' worth of diesel and 32 days' worth of jet fuel. This is the highest level of reserves in over a decade. He said that there was no rush to fill up at the service station. "I understand people's concerns, but it's vital that they know we have a good stock of petrol in Australia. There's...

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...

The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached a new high on Tuesday as oil companies and financials gained. The U.S. oil industry got a boost after the military raid that took place in the U.S. over the weekend, which captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Crude oil fell back $1 per barrel after it rose overnight as traders assessed possible impacts on crude oil flows from Venezuela. Venezuela is home to the largest oil reserves in the world. The events have had a limited impact on the risk sentiment. Equities are driven by momentum, while currencies are based on macroeconomic data. The...

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 Iran War has exposed a growing vulnerability of the West's aluminium supply, a metal that is classified by the United States as a "critical manufacturing input" and by the European Union. The London Metal Exchange's (LME) aluminium prices hit a four-year peak of $3,418 per metric ton Wednesday, after a Gulf producer, Qatalum, a joint venture between Norsk Hydro, Qatar Aluminum Manufacturing and Qatar Aluminum Manufacturing started shutting down their smelter, and another, Aluminium Bahrain, declared force majeure. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is still in place, risks further disruption of a regional hub of production...

Investors are on edge due to the escalating Middle East conflict, and record earnings season volatility. S&P/ASX 200 has lost more than half its gains in February after a 3.8% drop since the weekend, when Israel and the United States began bombing Iran. The benchmark index fell another 1.1% on the Friday, with many blue-chip stocks falling. Nick Twidale is the chief market strategist for ATFX Global. He said, "Global downturns hit Australia harder than other jurisdictions. I think that we could see a downturn if this war continues too long." Once the conflict is over, Australia will have more...

According to three sources who are familiar with the issue and a letter by an industry group, China, the U.S., and other Western governments have launched an unusually coordinated effort to convince Ghana to stop a gold royalty hike that they claim could hurt some of the world's largest miners. Africa's biggest gold producer is looking to replace its fixed royalty of 5% with a sliding rate between 5% and 12 % linked to gold prices. This is part of a bid to increase revenue as gold reaches successive historical highs. The upper bands in the new regime could come...

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...

Anglo American reported a $3.7billion loss on Friday, after another writedown of its diamonds business. The miner is pushing ahead with plans to shed its non-core assets as well as complete its merger with?Teck Resources. Anglo has wrapped up an uneven reporting season for London listed mining groups. This highlights the divergent fortunes of the industry as Antofagasta benefitted from rising copper prices, while other diversified peers suffered due to weaker markets in iron ore and diamonds. The company recorded a $2.3bn pre-tax impairment on its De Beers division, reducing carrying value from over $4bn to $2.3bn. Analysts' estimates of...

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...