Australian shares closed lower on Wednesday as investors reacted to pessimism around a potential peace deal after Iran said it would not meet US envoys.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index declined 0.64%, or by 55.80 points, to close at 8,722.90.
Brent crude oil futures rose 0.5% to $73.31 per barrel, while gold eased 0.4% to $3,990 per ounce.
On the domestic front, Australian manufacturing activity improved modestly in June, with employment and inventories rising even as output and new orders continued to contract amid elevated costs, supply-chain delays, and uncertainty driven by Middle East tensions. The headline seasonally adjusted S&P Global Australia Manufacturing Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) rose to 51.5 in June from 50.7 in May, signalling a third consecutive month of expansion in the sector.
The Australian Industry Index continued to signal weakness in June, declining to negative 30 in seasonally adjusted terms, indicating a broad slowdown across industrial sectors, according to a report released by the Australian Industry Group.
The number of dwelling approvals in Australia declined 1.1% in May from the previous month to 17,019 after edging 0.2% lower in April, according to seasonally adjusted data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
In company news, South32 (ASX:S32) struck a deal to sell its aluminum assets to Alcoa (ASX:AAI) for an implied enterprise value of as much as $5.6 billion. Under the deal, Alcoa will acquire South32's 86% interest in Western Australia-based Worsley Alumina, full ownership of Hillside Aluminum in South Africa, 33% stake in Brazil's MRN bauxite mine, 36% in Brazil Alumina refinery, and 40% in Brazil Aluminum smelter.
Coles Group's (ASX:COL) proposed acquisition of a leasehold for a new supermarket and liquor site in the Kalgoorlie-Boulder area of Western Australia would materially harm competition in the retail groceries space, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said.
Lastly, Magellan Financial Group (ASX:MFG) said it completed its merger with Barrenjoey Capital Partners Group after receiving overwhelming shareholder support at the extraordinary general meeting on April 10 and satisfying all regulatory approvals and closing conditions.