30.07.202606:37:19UTC+00ASX 200 Falls 0.8% at Close

The ASX 200 fell 71 points, or 0.8%, to close at 8,968 on Thursday, snapping a three-day winning streak and pulling back from a near five-month high. The decline was driven by profit-taking after a sharp selloff on Wall Street, as investors digested the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged, with three policymakers voting in favor of a 25 bps increase. Sentiment was further hit by rising geopolitical risks following Iran’s unexpected strikes on U.S. bases in Jordan.

Domestically, Reserve Bank of Australia Assistant Governor Sarah Hunter noted that headline inflation is moderating, although housing and services inflation remains stubbornly elevated. Losses on the local market were broad-based, led by technology, logistics, retail, and non-energy minerals.

Weaker iron ore and copper prices weighed on major miners, with BHP Group down 1.4% and Fortescue losing 0.9%. Gold producers were also heavily sold off, including Northern Star Resources, which slid 3.5%, and Evolution Mining, down 2.8%. Among the big four banks, two declined between 0.5% and 0.8%.

Defying the broader market weakness, Domino’s Pizza jumped 8.6% after the company reaffirmed its full-year profit guidance despite booking asset write-downs.