Sunday 7th December 2025
Daily Market Update: 08 December 2025
ASX inches higher ahead of rate decisions
The Australian sharemarket edged higher for the week, with the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) rising 0.2 per cent to close at 8634.60, reflecting a second straight weekly gain. Investors were cautious ahead of upcoming interest rate decisions from both the Reserve Bank of Australia and the US Federal Reserve. Domestic economic data offered little support for further rate cuts, leading markets to reduce expectations for monetary easing and begin considering possible hikes in 2026.
Miners and tech drive selective gains
Gains in the materials sector supported the index, following a bullish lithium forecast from UBS. This led to strong performances from IGO Limited (ASX: IGO), Mineral Resources Limited (ASX: MIN), and Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR), while Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) benefited from a six-week high in gold prices. In technology, NextDC Limited (ASX: NXT) advanced on its OpenAI partnership, and Megaport Limited (ASX: MP1) rose after a board appointment. Meanwhile, banks were broadly higher, including Westpac Banking Corporation (ASX: WBC) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA). However, Premier Investments Limited (ASX: PMV) fell sharply on weak guidance, and Saluda Medical Limited (ASX: SAL) plunged 52.1 per cent in its ASX debut, significantly below its IPO price.
US markets gain on easing inflation signals
Global equities ended the week on a positive note, with the S&P 500 Index (NYSE: SPX), Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: IXIC), and Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DJI) all rising. Softer inflation data and improved consumer sentiment increased the probability of a US interest rate cut next week. Mega-cap stocks led gains, including Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META), and Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO). Despite a dip in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA), tech breadth improved with Salesforce Inc. (NYSE: CRM) jumping on strong earnings.
| Australian Indices | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| ASX 200 | 0.2 | 0.2 | -1.5 | -2.1 | 5.8 |
| Financials | 0.6 | 0.0 | -7.8 | -5.7 | 4.3 |
| Resources | 0.9 | 2.6 | 7.0 | 11.4 | 26.7 |
| Information Technology | -0.5 | -3.7 | -9.8 | -16.6 | -12.2 |
| Global Indices | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| US 500 | 0.2 | -0.8 | -0.8 | 5.0 | 9.9 |
| Europe | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 4.2 | 21.1 |
| Japan | -0.9 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 5.9 | 17.4 |
| China top 50 | 1.2 | -0.5 | -2.2 | 0.5 | 26.7 |
| India top 50 | 0.6 | -2.0 | -1.8 | 1.6 | -4.6 |
| Fixed Interest | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| Australian Treasury Bond | 0.2 | -0.7 | -1.6 | -1.1 | 2.1 |
| Australian Corporate Bond | 0.0 | -0.6 | -1.5 | -0.9 | 3.0 |
| US Treasury | -0.1 | -0.4 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 3.9 |
| Cash | -0.3 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 4.1 |
| Commodities & Crypto | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| Gold | 0.4 | -0.7 | 3.9 | 15.6 | 53.1 |
| Silver | -1.0 | 5.8 | 18.7 | 39.8 | 77.7 |
| Crude Oil | 0.4 | 1.9 | 0.4 | -1.8 | 1.0 |
| Bitcoin | 1.0 | -2.2 | -13.7 | -19.3 | -12.9 |
