1h agoSun 4 Jan 2026 at 10:15pm

Market snapshot

ASX 200 futures: +0.1% to 8,718 pointsAustralian dollar: -0.1% to 66.85 US centsS&P 500 (Friday): +0.2% to 6,858 pointsNasdaq (Friday): Flat at 23,235 pointsFTSE (Friday): +0.2% to 9,951 pointsEuroStoxx (Friday): +0.9% to 617 pointsSpot gold: +0.4% to $US4,329/ounceBrent crude: -0.2% to $US60.75/barrelBitcoin: -0.1% to $US91,135

Price current around 9:00am AEDT

Live updates on the major ASX indices:

1m agoSun 4 Jan 2026 at 11:44pm

Top and bottom movers at open

(LSEG)11m agoSun 4 Jan 2026 at 11:35pm

Oil falls as investors weigh oversupply worries

Brent crude oil prices have slipped 0.3% to $US60.56 a barrel, following a 0.2% fall over the weekend.

32m agoSun 4 Jan 2026 at 11:14pm

ASX opens up

The benchmark Australian market index, the ASX 200, has opened slightly higher this morning.

At around 10:05am AEDT, the index was up 0.16 per cent.

Uranium stocks Paladin Energy and Deep Yellow showed the biggest gains in early trade, with Paladin up 9.77 per cent and Deep Yellow up 7.46 per cent.

But there was little movement among blue chips, with Australia’s banks barely moving — of the big four, ANZ rose 0.27 per cent while the biggest bank in the country, the Commonwealth Bank, fell 0.01 per cent.

Insurance company AUB Group was the bourse’s biggest loser, falling 2.09 per cent.

53m agoSun 4 Jan 2026 at 10:53pm

Oil prices in downtrend as OPEC+ keeps output steady

Oil prices have eased after logging their biggest annual loss since 2020 as investors weigh oversupply worries against geopolitical risks.

US crude dipped 0.17% to settle at $57.32 per barrel, while Brent settled at $60.75 per barrel, down 0.16%.

On Sunday, OPEC+ held a quick meeting to keep oil output unchanged after oil prices fell more than 18% in 2025.

The group produces about half the world’s oil.

On Saturday, the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and US President Donald Trump said Washington would take control of the country until a transition to a new administration becomes possible, without saying how this would be achieved.

“Judging by OPEC’s actions over the weekend, it’s in no rush to recalibrate output in response to the US attacks on Venezuela,” senior financial market analyst Kyle Rodda from capital.com said in a note.

“It chose to keep production unchanged, with the cartel emphasising stability in the crude markets.

“Despite downside to prices and a building supply glut in global markets, OPEC isn’t rushing to put a strong floor under prices, ostensibly adopting a ‘wait and see’ approach to market conditions.

“When it comes to the charts, crude is clearly in a downtrend, with the 50 day moving average a noteworthy level of technical resistance and roughly $US55 a major level of support.”

1h agoSun 4 Jan 2026 at 10:31pm

Dow, S&P 500 close higher on first day of 2026

The Dow and S&P 500 indexes ended higher on Friday, starting 2026 by snapping a four-day losing streak, helped by gains in chip makers Nvidia, Intel and Boeing.

In 2025, the Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq all notched double-digit gains, their third straight year in the green, a run last seen during 2019-2021.

Chip stocks provided a boost on Friday, with the Philadelphia SE Semiconductor index up 4%. Industrials and utilities also gained. Caterpillar and Boeing rose 4.5% and 4.9%, boosting the Dow.

While chip stocks rallied, several market heavyweights such as Apple and Microsoft fell to keep gains in check on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were also pressured by losses in consumer discretionary stocks including Amazon and Tesla also slid 2.6% after annual sales fell for a second year.

“It looks like the momentum in last year’s top-performing technology stocks hasn’t faded, because neither has demand for artificial intelligence, as the AI infrastructure build-out accelerates,” Jessica Amir, market strategist from Moomoo Australia, said in a note.

The Dow Jones index rose 0.7% to 48,382, the S&P 500 gained 0.2% to 6,858 and the Nasdaq Composite ended flat at 23,235.

with Reuters

1h agoSun 4 Jan 2026 at 9:52pm

ASX to open up

Good morning and welcome to our first markets live blog of 2026, where we’ll bring you the latest price action and news on the ASX and beyond.

Australian shares are set to edge higher at open on Monday, with energy stocks expected to be in focus after the US strike on Venezuela sparked concerns about oil supplies.

ASX futures were up 11 points or 0.1 per cent to 8,718 at 8:30am AEDT.

At the same time, the Australian dollar was down 0.2 per cent to 60.70 US cents.

Spot gold gained 0.4 per cent to $US4,329, while Brent crude oil was down 0.2 per cent to $US60.75 a barrel.

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