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ASX Preview: Australian Shares Set to Fall as Oil Rises on Ceasefire Doubts; Macquarie Group Completes AU$734 Million Employee Equity Share Purchase

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Australian shares are poised to fall on Friday as oil prices edged higher on renewed geopolitical tensions after US Vice President JD Vance warned Israel over Lebanon operations, raising uncertainty over the US-Iran ceasefire.

Overnight, the S&P 500, the Nasdaq Composite, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.1%, 1.9%, and 0.1%, respectively.

In corporate news, Macquarie Group (ASX:MQG) has completed the acquisition of about AU$734 million in shares for its 2026 employee retained equity plan awards at a weighted average price of AU$238.80 per share, while seeking shareholder approval to issue 55,402 restricted share units to its chief executive under its annual general meeting.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX:CBA) appointed Victoria Ledda as group chief information officer and Rodrigo Castillo as group chief technology officer, effective July 1, subject to regulatory approval.

Australia's benchmark index fell 0.6% or 55.2 points to close at 8,911.10 on Thursday.

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