Stock Market

Local stocks end lower as the retail sector gets hit and Woolworths and Wesfarmers trade ex-dividend. See how the trading day unfolded on the business blog.

The ASX at record highs is 'overvalued', according to market analysts, who say investors are paying too much for shares, considering some of Australia's largest companies revealed underwhelming profits during the August reporting season.

The ASX closed lower as banks, miners and tech stocks struggled.

Australia Post produced a "modest" profit of $18m in the last financial year, as its profitable parcels business faces intensifying competition from private shipping companies, and its loss-making letters business continues to decline.

Qantas shares have risen strongly following a better-than-expected $1.6 billion net profit. CEO Vanessa Hudson said the $90 million fine for illegal outsourcing was "absolutely not" the cost of doing business. Meanwhile, the share market inched closer toward another record high. 

The Australian share market has risen, while individual stocks, including Woolworths, Domino's Pizza, Flight Centre and Tabcorp, have made major moves. Wall Street closed higher despite Donald Trump's decision to sack a Federal Reserve governor. 

The Reserve Bank's August interest rate meeting minutes show the central bank is poised to lower interest rates "faster" should the unemployment rate rise. See how the trading day unfolded on the ABC News live markets blog.

After a strong lead from Wall Street, the ASX spent most of session on the slide with gains in miners and energy stocks just outpacing losses in banks and retailers.

The Australian share market has made history by surpassing 9,000 index points, which is a boon to millions of workers' super funds. But analysts are not sure how long it can last.

After crossing 9,000 points for the first time, the ASX 200 dipped in early trade, with traders bracing for an address by Jerome Powell to a central bank symposium. 

The benchmark index added 1.1 per cent on Thursday, with all sectors rising as stocks climbed to fresh records. Take a look at how the trading day unfolded plus analysis from our specialist business reporters on the markets blog.

Meta, Citigroup, and local school districts are among the companies and government entities which the US president has bought bonds from in the past seven months, disclosure logs show.

The Australian share market closed in positive territory, led by the financial sector. That's despite heavy losses for some stocks, with James Hardie slumping more than 25 per cent and CSL declining again. Look back on the day's events and insights from our business reporters on the ABC News markets blog.

Biotech giant CSL saw its share price tank on Tuesday, which dragged the ASX down. Look back on the day's events and insights from our business reporters on the ABC News markets blog. 

The ASX closes at a record high, while Qantas has been fined $90 million in the Federal Court for illegally sacking 1,800 workers and NAB admits to underpaying workers again.

The battle for control of oil and gas giant Santos moved up a gear this week after Ryan Stokes, chairman of Beach Energy and son of billionaire Kerry, took a swipe at the Abu Dhabi government's tilt for a large slice of Australia's energy market.

With the Reserve Bank in their corner promising to ensure market stability, are investors playing with the very concept of risk?

The S&P/ASX 200 closed 0.7 per cent higher on Friday at 8,938.6 points, ending the week on its highest ever note, and on route to breaking the 9,000 barrier. 

Australia's unemployment rate falls to 4.2 per cent as female participation hits a record high in July. The ABS's latest figures show about 25,000 jobs were added to the economy in the month. 

Australia's biggest company CBA has posted a $10.13 billion net profit but billions were wiped off the bank's share price, as analysts say the stock was "priced for perfection".