21.08.202606:45:35UTC+00ASX 200 Ends Slightly Lower, Tracks 0.6% Weekly Decline

Australia’s ASX 200 fell 25 points, or 0.3%, to close at 9,059 on Friday, erasing the previous session’s gains as weakness in healthcare, technology, logistics, and commercial services weighed on the index. Investor caution intensified ahead of next week’s July inflation release, after June’s reading eased only slightly and remained above the Reserve Bank’s target range. Governor Michele Bullock recently reiterated that inflation is still elevated, highlighting upside risks from commodity price volatility linked to conflict in the Middle East.

Losses were partly contained by stronger U.S. stock futures, which helped steady sentiment after Wall Street’s sharp decline on Thursday amid rising Treasury yields. Local tech shares mirrored the pullback in their U.S. counterparts, with Wisetech Global down 2.1% and Nextdc off 1.3%. Goodman Group (-5.5%), Wesfarmers (-2.8%), and Sonic Healthcare (-2.0%) were also notable laggards, while the big four banks trimmed earlier declines to finish mixed.

In contrast, Guzman y Gomez rallied 11.5% after posting a 29.7% jump in profit. Over the week, the local market slipped 0.6%, its second consecutive weekly decline.