{"id":64685,"date":"2026-07-13T02:38:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T06:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/asx-200-closes-nearly-unchanged-at-8808-50-amid-geopolitical-tensions\/64685\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T02:38:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T06:38:15","slug":"asx-200-closes-nearly-unchanged-at-8808-50-amid-geopolitical-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/asx-200-closes-nearly-unchanged-at-8808-50-amid-geopolitical-tensions\/64685\/","title":{"rendered":"ASX 200 Closes Nearly Unchanged at 8,808.50 Amid Geopolitical Tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The S&amp;P\/ASX 200 Index (<a href=\"\/stock\/XJO\">XJO<\/a>) finished the session nearly flat, edging up just 0.03% to 8,808.50 as gains in the banking sector offset losses in technology and materials.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/energy\/crude-oil\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"12\" title=\"Crude oil\">Oil prices<\/a> surged nearly 5% following U.S. airstrikes in Iran and retaliatory actions, driving a rotation into defensive sectors and energy stocks.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The &quot;Big Four&quot; banks acted as a market anchor, with ANZ Group (<a href=\"\/stock\/ANZ\">ANZ<\/a>) leading the group with a 0.90% gain to $36.38.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Technology and Materials sectors were the primary laggards, falling 2.3% and 0.9% respectively as investors moved away from growth and cyclical assets.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Australian sharemarket experienced a volatile start to the week on Monday, July 13, 2026, as the benchmark <strong>S&amp;P\/ASX 200 Index (<a href=\"\/stock\/XJO\">XJO<\/a>)<\/strong> struggled for direction. After an early climb to over 8,820 points, the index retreated to close at <strong>8,808.50<\/strong>, gaining a marginal <strong>2.50 points or 0.03%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Market sentiment was heavily influenced by a sharp escalation in Middle East hostilities<\/em>, which saw Brent crude prices jump toward <strong>US$80 per barrel<\/strong>. This geopolitical uncertainty triggered a sell-off in risk-sensitive sectors like technology while providing a tailwind for domestic energy producers.<\/p>\n<h3>Banking Sector Provides Stability<\/h3>\n<p>The financial sector served as the market&#39;s primary defense against broader declines. <strong>ANZ Group (<a href=\"\/stock\/ANZ\">ANZ<\/a>)<\/strong> was the standout performer among the major lenders, rising <strong>0.90%<\/strong> to <strong>$36.38<\/strong>. Other major banks followed suit, with <strong>Commonwealth Bank (<a href=\"\/stock\/CBA\">CBA<\/a>)<\/strong> up <strong>0.49%<\/strong> to <strong>$169.69<\/strong> and <strong>National Australia Bank (<a href=\"\/stock\/NAB\">NAB<\/a>)<\/strong> gaining <strong>0.57%<\/strong> to <strong>$39.84<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Analysts noted that investors favored the liquidity and relative safety of large-cap financials<\/em> as global uncertainty clouded the outlook for growth-oriented stocks. <strong>Westpac (<a href=\"\/stock\/WBC\">WBC<\/a>)<\/strong> also contributed to the positive momentum, finishing <strong>0.42%<\/strong> higher at <strong>$36.70<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3>Energy and Materials Mixed Amid Crude Surge<\/h3>\n<p>The energy sector saw significant interest as oil prices reacted to strikes in the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>. <strong>Woodside Energy (<a href=\"\/stock\/WDS\">WDS<\/a>)<\/strong> rose <strong>0.65%<\/strong> to <strong>$29.24<\/strong>, while <strong>Ampol (<a href=\"\/stock\/ALD\">ALD<\/a>)<\/strong> surged <strong>4.39%<\/strong> to hit a 52-week high of <strong>$36.83<\/strong>. Conversely, <strong>AGL Energy (<a href=\"\/stock\/AGL\">AGL<\/a>)<\/strong> bucked the trend, falling roughly <strong>5%<\/strong> following an analyst downgrade.<\/p>\n<p>The Materials sector faced headwinds, declining <strong>0.91%<\/strong> overall. Heavyweights <strong>BHP Group (<a href=\"\/stock\/BHP\">BHP<\/a>)<\/strong> and <strong>Rio Tinto (<a href=\"\/stock\/RIO\">RIO<\/a>)<\/strong> both finished in the red, down <strong>0.38%<\/strong> and <strong>0.36%<\/strong> respectively. <em>The pullback in mining reflected broader concerns regarding global industrial demand<\/em> and a shift in risk appetite.<\/p>\n<h3>Technology and Healthcare Under Pressure<\/h3>\n<p>The <strong>Information Technology<\/strong> sector was the day&#39;s worst performer, tumbling <strong>2.3%<\/strong>. This decline mirrored weakness in U.S. tech futures and profit-taking in AI-related stocks. Healthcare also struggled, led by a <strong>1.29%<\/strong> drop in <strong>CSL Limited (<a href=\"\/stock\/CSL\">CSL<\/a>)<\/strong>, which closed at <strong>$121.31<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the muted headline result, individual movers included <strong>Silex Systems (<a href=\"\/stock\/SLX\">SLX<\/a>)<\/strong>, which gained <strong>9.4%<\/strong>, and <strong>Deep Yellow (<a href=\"\/stock\/DYL\">DYL<\/a>)<\/strong>, up <strong>7.4%<\/strong>, as <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/uranium\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"13\" title=\"Uranium\">uranium<\/a>-related plays continued to attract speculative interest. Meanwhile, <strong>Austal (<a href=\"\/stock\/ASB\">ASB<\/a>)<\/strong> hit a 52-week low, falling <strong>4.84%<\/strong> to <strong>$3.54<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways The S&amp;P\/ASX 200 Index (XJO) finished the session nearly flat, edging up just 0.03% to 8,808.50 as gains 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