Dec 30 (Reuters) – Australian shares fell on Monday after three straight sessions of gains, as index heavyweight banks retreated and mining stocks declined on weak underlying commodity prices.
The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.5% to 8,222.2 points by 2334 GMT in thin year-end trading.
The benchmark has risen 8.4% so far this year, heading for a second straight session annual gain, even though investors were worried about an uneven economic recovery in Australia’s top trading partner China.
Financials fell 0.6% on Monday after three straight sessions of gains, with the “Big Four” banks down between 0.1% and 0.5%.
Investors expect the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to start the interest rate-cutting cycle in its first policy meeting of 2025.
JP Morgan analysts expect a quarter-point rate cut in February following the RBA’s dovish tilt and December meeting minutes.
Australian miners inched 0.1% lower after a decline in China’s steelmaking output sent iron ore prices to a more than five-week low on Friday.
Mining giants BHP dropped 0.1%, Fortescue slipped 0.3%, while Rio Tinto rose 0.3%.
Bucking the trend, energy stocks climbed 0.7% and were on course for a fifth straight session of gains, after oil prices closed higher on Friday buoyed by a large drawdown in U.S. crude oil inventories.
Woodside rose 1% and Santos gained 0.8%.
Gold stocks retreated 0.2% on weaker bullion prices. Northern Star Resources fell 0.5%, while Evolution Mining added 0.2%.
New Zealand’s benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index fell 0.2% to 13,172.3 points after a four-session winning streak.
(Reporting by Sneha Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
