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ASX today, ASX 200 futures up 45 points, yields ease

Writer: Noel Ong
Noel Ong
1 hour ago
3 min read

Samso Market Update | Friday, 2 October 2026 | Pre-market 9:45am AEST

Futures point to a higher open on the ASX today, one day after the S&P/ASX 200 fell 1.99%. A futures contract is an agreement to buy or sell the index at a set date, and its overnight move is the usual guide to where shares open. ASX 200 futures were up 45 points, or 0.52%, at 8,678 at 8:36am AEST. The S&P/ASX 200 closed down 174.9 points at 8,614.4 on Thursday. The All Ordinaries, which covers the 500 largest listed companies, fell 1.95% to 8,794.4. The Small Ordinaries, which covers companies ranked 101 to 300 by size, fell 1.78% to 3,308.7. The Australian dollar was at approximately 69.3 US cents at 8:45am AEST.

ASX today: Key Highlights

  • ASX 200 futures were up 45 points, or 0.52%, at 8:36am AEST, after Thursday's 1.99% fall to 8,614.4.

  • The yield on the US 10-year Treasury, a US government bond, eased to 5.24% from 5.29%. During the session it touched its highest level since 2002.

  • Wall Street closed slightly higher (FIG. 01). The S&P 500 rose 0.19% and the Dow Jones and Nasdaq each rose 0.04%.

  • Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 3.3% on Thursday. London's FTSE 100 fell 1.68%.

  • Brent crude for December delivery rose approximately 4.5% to approximately US$102.50 a barrel.

  • US jobs figures are due at 10:30pm AEST tonight, after the local market has closed.

FIG. 01. Bar chart of how each share index moved in its most recent session. S&P/ASX 200 on Thursday down 1.99%. ASX 200 futures on Friday up 0.52%. Dow Jones up 0.04%. S&P 500 up 0.19%. Nasdaq Composite up 0.04%. Russell 2000 up 0.35%. Nikkei 225 up 3.30%. FTSE 100 down 1.68%. DAX down 1.03%. CAC 40 down 1.62%. Source: Yahoo Finance closing prices, Samso arithmetic. ASX 200 futures from Market Index and FNArena.

Wall Street overnight

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 20.51 points, or 0.04%, to 50,926.56. The S&P 500 rose 14.91 points, or 0.19%, to 7,666.45, which Market Index reported as the end of a three-session run of falls. The Nasdaq Composite rose 10.53 points, or 0.04%, to 26,871.60. The Russell 2000, an index of smaller US companies, rose 0.35% to 2,806.63.

The US 10-year Treasury yield finished at 5.237%, down approximately 6 basis points from 5.293% (FIG. 02). A basis point is one hundredth of a percentage point. A bond's yield is the yearly return from buying it at today's price, and when yields rise, bond prices fall. TheStreet reported the yield reached approximately 5.33% earlier in the session, its highest level since April 2002. Market Index reported that the main US indices recovered early losses once yields eased.

FIG. 02. Line chart of the US 10-year Treasury yield at each daily close over the 15 sessions to Thursday 1 October 2026. The yield was near 5.0% until 22 September, rose to 5.293% at Wednesday's close and eased to 5.237% at Thursday's close. A diamond marks Thursday's intraday high, above every close on the chart. Source: Yahoo Finance.

Two US data releases came out during the session. The ISM manufacturing index, a monthly survey of factory activity, was 54.5 against a forecast of 55.0. Its prices paid measure rose to 77.9 against a forecast of 73.0, according to Market Index. Initial jobless claims were 197,000.

Japan

The Nikkei 225 closed at 68,956.72 on Thursday, up 2,203 points, or 3.3%. News On Japan attributed the rise to buying in semiconductor and artificial intelligence shares following the earnings outlook from US chipmaker Micron Technology. The same report said the Tankan, the Bank of Japan's quarterly survey of business confidence, was at its strongest level in eight years. The US dollar bought approximately 158.06 yen at 8:46am AEST, against 157.56 in the previous session.

London and Europe

The FTSE 100 closed down 177.73 points, or 1.68%, at 10,428.27. Germany's DAX fell 1.03% to 24,939.35. France's CAC 40 fell 1.62% to 7,835.31.

Currencies

The Australian dollar was at approximately 69.3 US cents at 8:45am AEST. It was 69.46 US cents in the previous session and 70.16 US cents three sessions ago. The US dollar index, which measures the US dollar against six major currencies, rose 0.58% to 102.04. Market Index reported this as its fourth daily gain in a row. The US dollar bought approximately 158.06 yen.

Commodities

Prices are futures prices at approximately 8:37am AEST (TABLE 01). The contract month is the month in which a futures contract falls due.

TABLE 01. Commodity and currency prices at approximately 8:37am to 8:46am AEST on Friday 2 October 2026, against the previous session. Gold, December futures: price US$4,205 an ounce, change up approximately 0.4%, previous session US$4,186.70. Silver, December futures: price US$61.30 an ounce, change not stated because sources differ. Copper, December futures: price US$6.57 a pound, change not stated because sources differ. Brent crude, December futures: price US$102.50 a barrel, change up approximately 4.5%, previous session US$98.03. WTI crude, November futures: price US$93.05 a barrel, change up approximately 2.9%, previous session US$90.42. Iron ore, 62% iron delivered to China: US$96.59 a tonne, the 30 September price. Australian dollar against the US dollar: 69.3 US cents, down, previous session 69.46 US cents. US dollar against the yen: 158.06 yen, up, previous session 157.56 yen. US dollar index, six major currencies: 102.04, up 0.58%, previous session 101.45. Source: Yahoo Finance for futures and currencies. Iron ore from Trading Economics, which showed US$92.10 on 1 October, and ABC News, which showed US$92.55. Mainland Chinese markets were closed for the National Day holiday.

Market Index reported that Brent moved above US$102 a barrel (FIG. 03) following comments by US President Donald Trump on potential strikes on Iran. TheStreet reported that Chinese refiners had suspended fuel exports.

FIG. 03. Line chart of oil futures in US dollars a barrel. Brent for December delivery: 97.44 on 25 September, 97.83 on 28 September, 96.16 on 29 September, 98.03 on 30 September and 102.49 at 8:37am AEST on 2 October. West Texas Intermediate for November delivery: 92.41, 92.60, 89.38, 90.42 and 93.05 on the same dates. Source: Yahoo Finance.

Today's diary

  • 11:30am AEST. The Australian Bureau of Statistics releases Deaths, Australia for 2025. No market-sensitive Australian data is scheduled.

  • 7:00pm AEST. Eurozone preliminary inflation for September.

  • 10:30pm AEST. US non-farm payrolls and the unemployment rate for September.

  • Daylight saving starts in Sydney on Sunday. From Monday the ASX opens at 10:00am AEDT, which is 7:00am in Perth.

Samso Concluding Comments

ABC News attributed Thursday's fall on the ASX to higher oil prices pushing bond yields up around the world. In the US session that followed, the 10-year yield touched its highest level since April 2002, then eased to 5.24%. ASX 200 futures rose 45 points, approximately a quarter of Thursday's 174.9-point fall. December Brent rose approximately 4.5%. The US jobs figures are due at 10:30pm AEST, after the ASX has closed. Monday is the first ASX session after the release.

General information only. This is not financial advice.

 
 
 

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