Australian shares fall most since April in broad-based retreat

Feb 6, 2026, 13:07 GMT+7
Key points:

• ASX 200 falls 2%, down 1.8% for week - biggest in 11 weeks
• ASX volatility index shoots up 21%, most since April 2025
• Miners slump 2.7%; BHP down 3%, Rio pulls back from record
• Gold miners, tech and energy stocks down about 3% each
• Financials fall 1.2%, snapping five-session rally

By Shruti Agarwal
Reuters - Australian shares logged their biggest daily fall in 10 months on Friday, with miners leading a selloff spanning all sectors, as investors pulled out of resources stocks on soft commodity prices amid a broader retreat from equities globally.
The S&P/ASX 200 indexfell 2% to 8,699.50 in its steepest one-day drop since early April last year. The benchmark slid 1.8% this week in its worst performance in 11 weeks.
The selloff was broad-based, with heavyweight resourcesand financialssectors shedding 2.7% and 1.2%, respectively, while energy, technologyand gold stocksfell about 3% each.
Healthcare, consumer staples and consumer discretionary stocks lost between 1% and 3%. A gauge of blue-chip stocks which includes the top miners and banks, fell 1.5%, the most since mid-November.
Overnight, Wall Street indexes closed sharply lower, led by losses in major tech firms due to concerns over their AI outlays. Global equities were also under pressure on Friday.
"Global risk sentiment weakened sharply overnight as investors rotated out of high-multiple and cyclically-exposed sectors," said Marc Jocum, senior product and investment strategist at Global X ETFs.
Caution on Wall Street spilled into Australia, with commodity volatility and concerns over global growth softness weighing on confidence, Jocum said.
The S&P ASX volatility index shot up by 21%, the most since April "Liberation Day" shocks, indicating a sharp rise in investor anxiety and expectations of heightened market volatility.
The resources index ended at a three-week low, shedding 4.6% for the week - its biggest since late March.
While BHP Groupfell 3%, rival Rio Tintojumped 2% to a record high after it abandoned its merger talks with Glencore, although it ended a touch lower.
Rio Tinto's London-listed sharesended more than 2% lower overnight. Jocum said the divergence between the two stocks likely reflects Australian shareholders rewarding management's decision to prioritise valuation discipline.
In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 indexended 0.2% lower at 13,444.02.

Sumber : Reuters