Tuesday 17th February 2026
Daily Market Update: 18 February 2026
Australian market gains on BHP earnings boost
The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) advanced 21.80 points to 8958.90, with four of 11 sectors finishing higher in subdued trade amid US Presidents’ Day and Lunar New Year closures. Materials led the market as BHP Group Limited (ASX: BHP) surged 4.7 per cent to $52.74, after touching a record $54.20, adding more than $15 billion in market value. The miner reported a first-half profit of $US5.64 billion, up 28 per cent, with copper earnings surpassing iron ore for the first time, and secured a $US4.3 billion upfront payment under a long-term silver financing agreement with Wheaton Precious Metals.
Corporate movers and sector highlights
Within materials, Sims Limited (ASX: SGM) fell 4 per cent to $20.42 after posting a $29.9 million half-year loss, while technology stocks remained volatile as WiseTech Global Limited (ASX: WTC) declined 1.6 per cent and Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) slipped 0.7 per cent. JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH) rallied 8.1 per cent following broker upgrades. In corporate updates, Judo Capital Holdings Limited (ASX: JDO) rose 2.4 per cent after lifting net interest margin guidance to 3.15 per cent, Baby Bunting Group Limited (ASX: BBN) gained 8.6 per cent on improved sales momentum, and Macmahon Holdings Limited (ASX: MAH) added 4.7 per cent on stronger earnings. Conversely, Challenger Limited (ASX: CGF) fell 2.4 per cent despite announcing a $150 million buyback, Reliance Worldwide Corporation Limited (ASX: RWC) dropped 9.1 per cent on weaker earnings, and SEEK Limited (ASX: SEK) declined 3.3 per cent after reporting a $178 million loss from continuing operations.
Global markets mixed amid inflation and rate focus
US equities were mixed, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (NYSE: SPX) up 0.2 per cent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DJIA) modestly higher and the NASDAQ 100 Index (NASDAQ: NDX) slightly lower. Software stocks faced renewed selling pressure as Salesforce Inc. (NYSE: CRM) fell 2.9 per cent, Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) lost 5.1 per cent and Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) shed 3.8 per cent, while semiconductor performance diverged between Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD), down 2.1 per cent, and NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA), up 1.2 per cent. Financials outperformed, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) and Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), amid expectations that rates may remain restrictive.
| Australian Indices | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| ASX 200 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 4.0 | 9.1 |
| Financials | 0.0 | 5.4 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 13.4 |
| Resources | 1.2 | -0.2 | 2.5 | 14.0 | 39.9 |
| Information Technology | -0.3 | -7.4 | -18.7 | -24.4 | -33.0 |
| Global Indices | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| US 500 | 0.1 | -1.3 | -6.8 | -5.5 | 1.2 |
| Europe | -0.1 | -0.6 | -2.8 | 1.8 | 14.8 |
| Japan | -1.1 | -1.3 | 0.5 | 5.0 | 22.5 |
| China top 50 | 0.5 | -1.9 | -7.9 | -10.5 | -0.6 |
| India top 50 | 0.2 | -0.6 | -5.1 | -10.6 | -5.0 |
| Fixed Interest | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| Australian Treasury Bond | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | -0.2 | 3.2 |
| Australian Corporate Bond | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| US Treasury | 0.0 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 6.0 |
| Cash | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 3.9 |
| Commodities & Crypto | Daily % | Weekly % | 1 Month % | 3 Month % | 1 Year % |
| Gold | -0.5 | -0.9 | 1.9 | 12.3 | 52.0 |
| Silver | -0.3 | -6.1 | -19.8 | 38.9 | 112.4 |
| Crude Oil | 1.1 | -1.6 | 6.1 | 6.3 | -2.0 |
| Bitcoin | -0.4 | -2.1 | -32.4 | -33.8 | -36.7 |
