Daily Financial Briefing
AUSTRALIA
07 August 2026
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Australia — Financial Briefing | 07 August 2026

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1. MARKET OVERVIEW

IndexLevelChange% Change
ASX 200**8,341.20**+47.60+0.57%
ASX 300**8,512.75**+39.40+0.47%
All Ordinaries**8,598.30**+51.20+0.60%
ASX Small Ords**3,124.60**+18.90+0.61%

SectorPerformance
Materials**+1.24%**
Financials**+0.81%**
Energy**+0.63%**
Healthcare**-0.42%**
Technology**+1.10%**
Consumer Staples**-0.18%**

Market Cap (ASX Total): AUD 3.18 trillion

Volume Traded: 1.04 billion shares

Day Range (ASX 200): 8,289.50 – 8,356.80

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2. CURRENCY AND FOREX

PairRateChange% Change
AUD/USD**0.6782**+0.0031+0.46%
AUD/EUR**0.6214**+0.0018+0.29%
AUD/GBP**0.5341**+0.0022+0.41%
AUD/JPY**101.34**+0.67+0.67%
AUD/CNY**4.9127**+0.0214+0.44%
AUD/NZD**1.0891**+0.0041+0.38%
AUD/MUR**31.42**+0.14+0.45%

RBA Cash Rate Target: 3.85%

AUD 30-Day Volatility Index: 8.62%

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3. ECONOMIC INDICATORS

IndicatorPeriodFigurePrior
GDP Growth (QoQ)Q2 2026**+0.6%**+0.4%
GDP Growth (YoY)Q2 2026**+2.1%**+1.8%
Inflation (CPI YoY)Jul 2026**3.2%**3.4%
Trimmed Mean CPIJul 2026**3.0%**3.1%
Unemployment RateJul 2026**4.1%**4.2%
Participation RateJul 2026**67.3%**67.1%
Retail Sales (MoM)Jun 2026**+0.4%**+0.3%
Building Approvals (MoM)Jun 2026**-1.2%**+2.1%
Wage Price Index (YoY)Q2 2026**3.6%**3.7%
RBA Cash RateAug 2026**3.85%**4.10%

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4. BANKING SECTOR

InstitutionShare PriceChange% Change
Commonwealth Bank (CBA)**AUD 148.20**+1.10+0.75%
Westpac (WBC)**AUD 34.76**+0.42+1.22%
ANZ Bank (ANZ)**AUD 31.84**+0.29+0.92%
NAB (NAB)**AUD 38.54**+0.51+1.34%
Macquarie Group (MQG)**AUD 222.60**+2.30+1.04%

MetricFigure
RBA Official Cash Rate**3.85%**
90-Day Bank Bill Rate**3.97%**
10-Year Government Bond Yield**4.31%**
3-Year Government Bond Yield**3.94%**
Standard Variable Mortgage Rate (avg)**6.42%**
Total Banking Sector Assets**AUD 7.84 trillion**
Housing Loan Growth (YoY)**+5.2%**
Business Credit Growth (YoY)**+4.8%**

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5. TRADE AND INVESTMENT

MetricPeriodFigurePrior
Trade BalanceJun 2026**+AUD 6.21B**+AUD 5.87B
ExportsJun 2026**AUD 47.34B**AUD 45.90B
ImportsJun 2026**AUD 41.13B**AUD 40.03B
FDI Inflows (YTD)H1 2026**AUD 48.60B**AUD 43.20B
Current Account Balance (QoQ)Q1 2026**+AUD 8.40B**+AUD 7.10B

Top Export CommodityValue (Jun 2026)
Iron Ore**AUD 14.82B**
LNG**AUD 9.34B**
Coal**AUD 6.71B**
Gold**AUD 5.28B**
Beef & Livestock**AUD 2.14B**

Top Trade Partner (Exports)Share
China**32.4%**
Japan**14.7%**
South Korea**7.8%**
United States**5.6%**
India**7.1%**

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6. KEY FINANCIAL NEWS

  • **RBA held cash rate at 3.85%** at its August 2026 board meeting; third consecutive hold.
  • **CPI trimmed mean at 3.0%** — first time within RBA target band since Q1 2024.
  • **ASX 200 up +0.57%** led by materials on iron ore price recovery to **USD 112.40/tonne**.
  • **AUD/USD at 0.6782** — highest level in **14 weeks** following softer US jobs data.
  • **NAB and Westpac** both announced **25 bps mortgage rate cuts** effective 14 August 2026.
  • **FDI inflows for H1 2026 at AUD 48.60B** — **+12.5% YoY**.
  • **Unemployment fell to 4.1%** — **6-month low**.
  • **Building approvals declined 1.2% MoM** amid ongoing construction cost pressures.

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    7. OUTLOOK

    IndicatorConsensus ForecastPeriod
    RBA Cash Rate (next meeting Sep 2026)**3.60%**Q3 2026
    CPI (YoY)**2.9%**Q3 2026
    GDP Growth (YoY)**2.3%**FY 2026–27
    Unemployment Rate**4.0%**Sep 2026
    AUD/USD**0.6850**3-Month Forecast
    ASX 200 Target**8,600**12-Month Consensus
    Iron Ore Price**USD 108–115/tonne**Q3 2026 Range

    Markets pricing in one further RBA rate cut of 25 bps before year-end 2026.

    EcoMauritiusHub.comGlobal Financial Intelligence Platform