ASX today, ASX 200 flat, inflation at 4.3%

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Samso Market Update | Wednesday, 28 October 2026 | Market close 4:30pm AEDT

On the ASX today, the S&P/ASX 200 closed down 2.8 points, or 0.03%, at 8,847.3, after rising as much as 0.9% in the morning (Yahoo Finance data and the ABC). The Australian Bureau of Statistics said consumer prices rose 4.3% in the 12 months to September, up from 4.0% in August. Energy was the weakest of the 11 sectors, down 2.45%, and information technology the strongest, up 2.36%. The All Ordinaries, which tracks the 500 largest listed companies, rose 0.03% today to 8,971.4. The S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries, an index of the companies ranked 101 to 300 by size, rose 1.03% to 3,158.5. Tuesday's editions are at ASX today, Tuesday 27 October 2026, and Monday's are at ASX today, Monday 26 October 2026.

ASX today, key highlights

The ASX 200 today closed down 0.03% at 8,847.3. The ABC said it peaked with a gain of 0.9% at about 11:10am AEDT.
Annual inflation rose to 4.3% in September and the trimmed mean, a measure of underlying inflation, to 3.6% (ABS).
Energy fell 2.45%, the weakest sector. Woodside Energy Group (ASX: WDS) fell 3.16% and Ampol (ASX: ALD) 3.75%.
NEXTDC (ASX: NXT) rose 9.39% on the day it set out its compliance with its lenders' financial covenants. Reece (ASX: REH) fell 8.81%, with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close.
Of the 1,441 companies with a market value on the ASX that traded today, 664 rose, 445 fell and 332 were unchanged.

September inflation and the rate rise odds

The Australian Bureau of Statistics released the September consumer price index at 11:30am AEDT. The index rose 0.8% in the month and 4.3% over 12 months, up from 4.0% in August. The trimmed mean, which strips out the biggest price rises and falls each month to show the underlying trend, rose 3.6% over 12 months, up from a revised 3.5%. The ABC reported that the trimmed mean rose 1.0% over the September quarter. The ABS head of price statistics, Rachael McCririck, said housing and transport were the largest contributors to annual inflation, and that automotive fuel prices rose 9.4% in September, the ABC reported.

Reserve Bank deputy governor Andrew Hauser was appearing before a Senate Estimates committee when the figures came out. He told senators the numbers were "broadly in line" with what markets and the bank expected, and added, "these [numbers] are too high", the ABC reported. The ABC said the market odds of a rate rise at next week's Reserve Bank meeting rose from about 60% before the release to 79% soon after, citing Bloomberg data on overnight index swaps, contracts that let traders bet on the cash rate. By 3:21pm AEDT the ABC put the market's chance of a rise at 90%. ANZ and Westpac economists said they expect a rise next week, the ABC reported. It also reported that CBA's economists changed their call from a hold to a rise.

The ASX 200 was up 0.9% at 11:05am AEDT, the ABC reported, and closed little changed. The ABC said the loss of momentum began about 20 minutes before the inflation figures were released. Financials rose 0.16%. Westpac Banking Corporation (ASX: WBC) rose 0.97% and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) 0.61%. QBE Insurance Group (ASX: QBE) fell 2.42%.

Energy fell 2.45%. Woodside fell 3.16% to A$32.13 and Santos (ASX: STO) 1.74% to A$9.02. The ABC said at 11:05am that energy stocks were weaker after a fall in oil prices overnight. Oil then rose during the afternoon. At 2:40pm AEDT the ABC reported Brent crude futures, contracts for oil delivered at a later date, up 1.2%, after Yemen's Houthis claimed an attack on Saudi Arabia's biggest oil refinery, which Saudi authorities had not confirmed. Materials rose 1.07%. BHP Group (ASX: BHP) rose 0.09% and was again the most traded stock by value, with turnover, the dollar value of shares traded, of A$427.4 million.

New Zealand's Reserve Bank left its cash rate at 2.75% in a 4 to 3 vote, the ABC reported, a decision the market had not expected. The Federal Court fined The Star Entertainment Group (ASX: SGR) A$260 million for breaches of anti-money laundering laws, the ABC reported. Star's shares were in a trading halt all day.

Blue Chips (above A$1 billion)

Samso's four size bands, with the ASX top gainers and top losers in each, use market value at Tuesday's close. They are not the S&P/ASX indices of the same names. Turnover is in Table 01 for every mover.

Gainers. NEXTDC rose 9.39% to A$6.29 on turnover of A$106.7 million. Before the open it said it complied with both of its financial covenants, the conditions its lenders set, at 30 June 2026. It gave its gearing ratio as 8.2% against a maximum of 60%, and said it had left out the expected earnings of the M3 Melbourne contracts affected by power delays. Iluka Resources (ASX: ILU) rose 8.17% to A$5.69 on the day of its September quarter review, which said the average price on zircon sand contracted in the quarter was US$1,768 a tonne, up US$222 on the June quarter. Data#3 (ASX: DTL) rose 7.78% to A$14.97 on the day of its annual meeting. Austal (ASX: ASB) rose 7.64% to A$4.65 on the day it released the results of its annual meeting, held on Tuesday afternoon.

Perseus Mining (ASX: PRU) rose 8.67% to A$5.89 on turnover of A$25.5 million, with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close. It fell 3.04% on Tuesday on the day of its September quarter report. Energy Fuels (ASX: EF2) rose 9.89% to A$11.67 on turnover of A$203,000, with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close.

Fallers. Reece fell 8.81% to A$15.62 on turnover of A$22.7 million, with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close. 4DMedical (ASX: 4DX) fell 4.99% to A$3.43 on the day of its quarterly report and annual meeting. Lendlease Group (ASX: LLC) fell 4.58% to A$2.29, with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close. Coal miners New Hope Corporation (ASX: NHC) and Yancoal Australia (ASX: YAL) fell 3.93% and 3.68%, and Ampol fell 3.75% to A$38.50, each with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close.

Mid Caps (A$500 million to A$1 billion)

Gainers. SiteMinder (ASX: SDR) rose 18.12% to A$3.39 on turnover of A$15.2 million, on the day of its annual meeting. Core Lithium (ASX: CXO) rose 11.90% to A$0.235 and Lindian Resources (ASX: LIN) 11.69% to A$0.43, each with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close. Aurelia Metals (ASX: AMI) rose 10.26% to A$0.43 on the day of its September quarter report. Viridis Mining and Minerals (ASX: VMM) rose 10.17% to A$3.90, with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close. Arafura Rare Earths (ASX: ARU) rose 10.34% to A$0.16. Its only announcements were notices about employee securities.

Fallers. Peet (ASX: PPC) fell 5.10% to A$1.395 and Cedar Woods Properties (ASX: CWP) 5.07% to A$5.99, each with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close. Elsight (ASX: ELS) fell 4.41% to A$2.82, with no ASX announcement during trading. At 4:21pm AEDT, after the close, it reported revenue of about US$2.4 million for the September quarter, which it said was below management expectations. Nanosonics (ASX: NAN) fell 4.17% to A$2.99. Its only announcement was a buy-back update. Universal Store Holdings (ASX: UNI) fell 3.79% to A$7.37, with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close. BMC Minerals (ASX: BMC) fell 6.59% to A$2.55 on turnover of A$89,000, with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close. The Star Entertainment Group did not trade.

Small Caps (A$150 million to A$500 million)

Gainers. Nova Minerals (ASX: NVA) rose 19.44% to A$0.43 on the day it said it had received the final permits for its Alaska antimony project, which it is targeting for production in 2027. Metallium (ASX: MTM) rose 17.95% to A$0.23, with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close. Amaero (ASX: 3DA) rose 12.82% to A$0.22 on the day it announced a change to its financial year end. WhiteRock Lithium (ASX: WLC) rose 11.24% to A$2.97 on the day it reported drilling at Spodumene Mountain in Québec, including 84.0 metres downhole at 1.84% lithium oxide from 8.0 metres. Astron (ASX: ATR) rose 16.67% and Gorilla Gold Mines (ASX: GG8) 11.11%, each with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close.

Fallers. Centaurus Metals (ASX: CTM) fell 4.00% to A$0.36 on turnover of A$1.7 million, on the day it announced offtake agreements, contracts to sell future production, with CNGR and Glencore for its Jaguar nickel project, and US$40 million of new equity from the two companies. Beacon Minerals (ASX: BCN) fell 8.39% to A$2.62, Fenix Resources (ASX: FEX) 7.14% to A$0.195, Sinclair Gold (ASX: SGC) 6.37% to A$0.955 and Beetaloo Energy Australia (ASX: BTL) 4.17% to A$0.23, each with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close. Asara Resources (ASX: AS1) fell 4.35% to A$0.11 on the day of its quarterly report.

Micro Caps (below A$150 million)

Shares priced below one cent are shown only where the company made an ASX announcement.

Gainers. RBR Group (ASX: RBR) rose 33.33% to A$0.02, from A$0.015, on the day it said a subsidiary had won about US$2 million of work on accommodation modules for Exxon's Rovuma LNG project in Mozambique. archTIS (ASX: AR9) rose 19.12% to A$0.081 on the day it said Commonwealth Bank had extended A$4 million of its lending facilities to April 2027. Raiz Invest (ASX: RZI) rose 18.46% to A$0.385. Its only announcement was a substantial holder notice, the filing an investor lodges on reaching 5% of a company, released on Tuesday afternoon. NH3 Clean Energy (ASX: NH3) rose 17.02% to A$0.11. Its only announcement was its notice of annual meeting. AuKing Mining (ASX: AKN) rose 20.00% to A$0.012, with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close.

Fallers. Rumble Resources (ASX: RTR) fell 37.50% to A$0.025, from A$0.04, on turnover of A$605,000, on the day it released an updated scoping study for its Western Queen gold project. A scoping study is an early-stage estimate of whether a mine could work. TerraCom (ASX: TER) fell 13.64% to A$0.038, with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close. AdAlta (ASX: 1AD) fell 14.29% to A$0.003, from A$0.0035, a move of 0.05 of a cent. Its only announcement was a change of annual meeting date. Connected Minerals (ASX: CML), InfoTrust (ASX: ITS) and GBM Resources (ASX: GBM) each fell about 10%, with no ASX announcement since Tuesday's close.

Table 01, ASX biggest movers by Samso size band, Wednesday 28 October 2026. Blue Chips: Energy Fuels (EF2) closed A$11.67, +9.89%, market value A$2.85bn, turnover A$203k, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Blue Chips: NEXTDC (NXT) closed A$6.29, +9.39%, market value A$4.21bn, turnover A$106.7m, Financial covenants, compliance and headroom. Blue Chips: Perseus Mining (PRU) closed A$5.89, +8.67%, market value A$7.41bn, turnover A$25.5m, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Blue Chips: Iluka Resources (ILU) closed A$5.69, +8.17%, market value A$2.19bn, turnover A$23.9m, Quarterly review to 30 September 2026. Blue Chips: Data#3 (DTL) closed A$14.97, +7.78%, market value A$2.08bn, turnover A$18.2m, Annual meeting, chair's address. Blue Chips: Austal (ASB) closed A$4.65, +7.64%, market value A$1.77bn, turnover A$23.4m, Results of annual meeting. Blue Chips: Reece (REH) closed A$15.62, -8.81%, market value A$10.71bn, turnover A$22.7m, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Blue Chips: 4DMedical (4DX) closed A$3.43, -4.99%, market value A$2.22bn, turnover A$21.7m, Quarterly report and annual meeting. Blue Chips: Lendlease Group (LLC) closed A$2.29, -4.58%, market value A$1.68bn, turnover A$10.1m, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Blue Chips: New Hope Corporation (NHC) closed A$5.86, -3.93%, market value A$5.12bn, turnover A$37.0m, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Blue Chips: Ampol (ALD) closed A$38.50, -3.75%, market value A$9.44bn, turnover A$40.3m, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Blue Chips: Yancoal Australia (YAL) closed A$6.02, -3.68%, market value A$8.12bn, turnover A$17.9m, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Mid Caps: SiteMinder (SDR) closed A$3.39, +18.12%, market value A$798m, turnover A$15.2m, Annual meeting results and addresses. Mid Caps: Core Lithium (CXO) closed A$0.235, +11.90%, market value A$664m, turnover A$9.9m, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Mid Caps: Lindian Resources (LIN) closed A$0.43, +11.69%, market value A$721m, turnover A$5.7m, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Mid Caps: Arafura Rare Earths (ARU) closed A$0.16, +10.34%, market value A$881m, turnover A$4.5m, Employee securities notices. Mid Caps: Aurelia Metals (AMI) closed A$0.43, +10.26%, market value A$654m, turnover A$2.4m, September quarter report. Mid Caps: Viridis Mining and Minerals (VMM) closed A$3.90, +10.17%, market value A$543m, turnover A$5.2m, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Mid Caps: BMC Minerals (BMC) closed A$2.55, -6.59%, market value A$720m, turnover A$89k, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Mid Caps: Peet (PPC) closed A$1.395, -5.10%, market value A$673m, turnover A$3.7m, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Mid Caps: Cedar Woods Properties (CWP) closed A$5.99, -5.07%, market value A$525m, turnover A$2.7m, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Mid Caps: Elsight (ELS) closed A$2.82, -4.41%, market value A$646m, turnover A$6.8m, Quarterly report, 4:21pm (after close). Mid Caps: Nanosonics (NAN) closed A$2.99, -4.17%, market value A$927m, turnover A$4.9m, Buy-back update. Mid Caps: Universal Store Holdings (UNI) closed A$7.37, -3.79%, market value A$597m, turnover A$12.0m, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Small Caps: Nova Minerals (NVA) closed A$0.43, +19.44%, market value A$170m, turnover A$397k, Alaska antimony project fully permitted. Small Caps: Metallium (MTM) closed A$0.23, +17.95%, market value A$162m, turnover A$955k, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Small Caps: Astron (ATR) closed A$0.70, +16.67%, market value A$264m, turnover A$124k, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Small Caps: Amaero (3DA) closed A$0.22, +12.82%, market value A$231m, turnover A$1.0m, Change of financial year end. Small Caps: WhiteRock Lithium (WLC) closed A$2.97, +11.24%, market value A$247m, turnover A$279k, Lithium assays at Spodumene Mountain. Small Caps: Gorilla Gold Mines (GG8) closed A$0.25, +11.11%, market value A$165m, turnover A$466k, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Small Caps: Beacon Minerals (BCN) closed A$2.62, -8.39%, market value A$333m, turnover A$113k, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Small Caps: Fenix Resources (FEX) closed A$0.195, -7.14%, market value A$158m, turnover A$388k, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Small Caps: Sinclair Gold (SGC) closed A$0.955, -6.37%, market value A$186m, turnover A$263k, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Small Caps: Asara Resources (AS1) closed A$0.11, -4.35%, market value A$241m, turnover A$69k, Quarterly report. Small Caps: Beetaloo Energy Australia (BTL) closed A$0.23, -4.17%, market value A$347m, turnover A$109k, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Small Caps: Centaurus Metals (CTM) closed A$0.36, -4.00%, market value A$215m, turnover A$1.7m, Offtake and US$40m investment, Glencore and CNGR. Micro Caps: RBR Group (RBR) closed A$0.02, +33.33%, market value A$2m, turnover A$57k, Mozambique LNG contract. Micro Caps: AuKing Mining (AKN) closed A$0.012, +20.00%, market value A$24m, turnover A$99k, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Micro Caps: archTIS (AR9) closed A$0.081, +19.12%, market value A$34m, turnover A$108k, CBA lending facility extended. Micro Caps: Raiz Invest (RZI) closed A$0.385, +18.46%, market value A$35m, turnover A$52k, Substantial holder notice (Tue 4:42pm). Micro Caps: NH3 Clean Energy (NH3) closed A$0.11, +17.02%, market value A$70m, turnover A$172k, Notice of annual meeting. Micro Caps: Rumble Resources (RTR) closed A$0.025, -37.50%, market value A$53m, turnover A$605k, Western Queen scoping study. Micro Caps: AdAlta (1AD) closed A$0.003, -14.29%, market value A$10m, turnover A$135k, Change of annual meeting date. Micro Caps: TerraCom (TER) closed A$0.038, -13.64%, market value A$78m, turnover A$428k, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Micro Caps: Connected Minerals (CML) closed A$0.30, -10.45%, market value A$52m, turnover A$93k, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Micro Caps: InfoTrust (ITS) closed A$0.215, -10.42%, market value A$46m, turnover A$121k, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Micro Caps: GBM Resources (GBM) closed A$0.018, -10.00%, market value A$93m, turnover A$76k, No ASX announcement since Tue close. Market value is shares on issue times Tuesday's close. Turnover filter A$50,000. ASX data, delayed 20 minutes, at 4:34pm AEDT.

Commodities and Currency

December gold futures were at US$4,049.30 an ounce at 4:25pm AEDT, down 0.62% from Tuesday's settlement of US$4,074.60 (Yahoo Finance data).
December copper futures were at US$6.6445 a pound at 4:24pm AEDT, down 0.12% from Tuesday's US$6.6525 (Yahoo Finance data).
December Brent crude futures, the international oil benchmark, were at US$115.53 a barrel at 4:15pm AEDT, up 1.45% from Tuesday's settlement of US$113.88. December West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, was at US$101.25, up 1.35% from US$99.90 (Yahoo Finance data).
The ABC's latest iron ore price, at around 4:15pm AEDT, was US$89.44 a tonne, down 1.3%.
The Australian dollar was buying 70.34 US cents at 4:34pm AEDT, up from 70.22 US cents at 4:32pm AEDT on Tuesday, the level in Samso's Tuesday close edition (Yahoo Finance data).

Samso Concluding Comments

The ASX 200 closed down 0.03% at 8,847.3 on the day annual inflation rose to 4.3%. Energy shares fell 2.45% and technology shares rose 2.36%, with NEXTDC up 9.39%. The ABC put the market's chance of a Reserve Bank rate rise next week at 90% by mid-afternoon. Samso will watch Thursday morning's US Federal Reserve decision and the Reserve Bank's decision next Tuesday.

General information only. This is not financial advice.