Thursday 8th January 2026
Daily Market Update: 9 January 2026
ASX rises on tech and healthcare strength
Australian shares climbed on Thursday, buoyed by strong performances in the technology and healthcare sectors, even as Wall Street saw modest losses. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) rose 0.3 per cent to close at 8720.8, with 10 out of 11 sectors finishing in positive territory. Gains in the information technology sector led the charge, with WiseTech Global Limited (ASX: WTC) up 2.2 per cent, Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) gaining 0.7 per cent, and TechnologyOne Limited (ASX: TNE) advancing 1.5 per cent. Healthcare stocks also contributed, with CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) rising 2.6 per cent, ResMed Inc. (ASX: RMD) up 1.6 per cent, and Ramsay Health Care Limited (ASX: RHC) gaining 2.2 per cent.
Commodities pressure materials and energy stocks
Despite optimism in tech and healthcare, the materials and energy sectors saw pressure due to weaker commodity prices. Energy names Ampol Limited (ASX: ALD) and Beach Energy Limited (ASX: BPT) fell after oil briefly dipped below $US60 a barrel. Gold and silver prices also declined, impacting miners such as Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM), which fell 5.8 per cent, and St Barbara Limited (ASX: SBM), down 3.4 per cent. Broader miners including BHP Group Limited (ASX: BHP) slipped 0.8 per cent, despite iron ore holding near $US109 a tonne in Singapore. In corporate news, Ansell Limited (ASX: ANN) dropped 6.2 per cent following the retirement announcement of CEO Neil Salmon, while BlueScope Steel Limited (ASX: BSL) declined 1.6 per cent after rejecting a $13.2 billion bid. Monadelphous Group Limited (ASX: MND) rose 2.2 per cent after securing $110 million in new contracts.
Tech rotation hits US stocks amid defence rally
Global markets were mixed, with US indices diverging as investors rotated from tech into cyclicals and defense. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX: DJI) and S&P 500 Index (INDEXSP: .INX) each rose 0.3 per cent, while the Nasdaq 100 Index (NASDAQ: NDX) fell 0.4 per cent due to continued weakness in major AI-linked tech stocks. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA), Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO), Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU), and Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) all declined. Defense shares rallied strongly after Donald Trump proposed a $1.5 trillion US military budget for 2027, lifting names like Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT), Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS). Energy giants Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) and Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) also gained as crude prices rebounded.
| Australian Indices | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| ASX 200 | 0.3 | -0.5 | 0.8 | -2.5 | 7.6 |
| Financials | 0.6 | -4.1 | -1.5 | -7.3 | 3.9 |
| Resources | -0.6 | 2.4 | 5.5 | 11.4 | 36.1 |
| Information Technology | 1.5 | 0.6 | -4.2 | -18.9 | -10.9 |
| Global Indices | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| US 500 | 0.3 | 0.2 | -0.8 | 0.2 | 8.5 |
| Europe | 0.2 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 23.7 |
| Japan | 0.2 | 2.2 | -2.2 | -0.7 | 14.6 |
| China top 50 | -0.5 | 2.1 | -1.1 | -5.3 | 26.1 |
| India top 50 | 0.9 | -1.0 | -0.7 | 0.6 | -3.7 |
| Fixed Interest | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| Australian Treasury Bond | 0.5 | -0.1 | -0.1 | -1.4 | 2.7 |
| Australian Corporate Bond | 0.4 | -0.2 | -0.1 | -1.4 | 3.3 |
| US Treasury | 0.0 | -0.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 5.9 |
| Cash | 0.0 | -0.3 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 3.7 |
| Commodities & Crypto | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| Gold | 0.0 | 2.1 | 4.2 | 7.4 | 52.1 |
| Silver | -2.5 | 8.7 | 33.0 | 57.5 | 138.9 |
| Crude Oil | 0.0 | -0.5 | -2.5 | -7.1 | -12.2 |
| Bitcoin | -1.1 | 2.8 | -0.4 | -27.2 | -11.5 |
