13.07.202606:49:39UTC+00ASX 200 Pauses Ahead of U.S. Inflation, China Trade Data

The ASX 200 finished little changed on Monday, edging down to 8,808 as gains in communications, financials, and energy minerals were largely offset by losses in technology, industrials, and consumer names. The index gave back part of the prior session’s advance amid softer U.S. equity futures, with traders positioning for a dense run of macro catalysts, including U.S. inflation figures and Fed Chair Warsh’s testimony, as well as June trade data and Q2 GDP from key trading partner China. Domestically, July readings on consumer and business sentiment are also due this week.

Mining stocks softened ahead of quarterly updates, with BHP down 0.1% and Rio Tinto slipping 0.3%. The tech sector underperformed following steep declines in Xero (-4.5%) and WiseTech (-2.1%). Gold miners also weakened, led by Northern Star (-2.6%) and Evolution (-1.6%).

By contrast, Woodside Energy gained 0.9% as oil prices rose on renewed Middle East tensions after fresh U.S. strikes on Iran. The big four banks advanced between 0.3% and 1.3%, providing key support to the broader index.