Australian shares continued their retreat on Friday as the prospects of a peace agreement between the US and Iran seemed distant.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index dropped 0.7%, or 61 points, to close at 8,625.10.
Brent crude oil futures were trading at around $95 per barrel as traders await more clarity on US-Iran talks.
The Hezbollah militia rejected a new ceasefire in Lebanon, and Israel said it would not withdraw troops from the country, Reuters reported.
The iron ore price in Singapore reached $100.85 per tonne, a three-month low.
On the domestic front, the number of seasonally adjusted filled jobs in Australia rose 0.6% to 16.2 million in the March quarter, following a 0.3% increase in the December 2025 quarter, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said. Total jobs rose 0.7% to 16.5 million, and job vacancies increased 5.2% to 344,000, while secondary jobs increased 0.6% to 1.1 million in the March quarter.
In company news, nib (ASX:NHF) agreed to sell its Australian and New Zealand travel insurance businesses, excluding World Nomads, to Allianz Partners, an Allianz Group subsidiary, for up to AU$50 million. The company also partnered with Allianz Partners for the distribution of nib-branded travel insurance products to its customers in Australia and New Zealand.
Resolute Mining (ASX:RSG) said full-year 2026 production at its Syama Gold Mine in Mali is now expected to be around the lower end of its guidance range of 195,000 to 210,000 ounces due to logistical and supply chain disruptions caused by road insecurity in parts of Mali. The company said second-quarter gold production at Syama is expected to be about 30,000 ounces, compared with its original forecast of 40,000 to 45,000 ounces.
Lastly, Perpetual (ASX:PPT) agreed to acquire 70% of the shares in financial technology firm Interfi Systems. The sale and purchase agreement also comes with an option to acquire the remaining 30% of Interfi Systems' shares by fiscal 2031.