Australian shares fell on Thursday as strong inflation data stoked concerns over interest rates.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 0.98%, or 89.60 points, to close at 9,038.20.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Nasdaq Composite edged lower 0.1% while the Dow Jones fell 0.2%, after the personal consumption expenditures index in the US rose 0.2% in July compared with the prior month, showing that the US Federal Reserve's preferred inflation measure is still hot.
Brent crude oil futures fell to trade around $87 per barrel as diplomatic efforts continued to resolve the conflict in the Middle East.
On the domestic front, Australia's household spending rose 1.1% month over month to AU$82.34 billion in July on a current price, seasonally adjusted basis, following a 1% increase in June, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported.
Private new capital expenditure in Australia fell 3.6% in the June quarter in seasonally adjusted terms to nearly AU$51 billion, according to a report released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
In company news, Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) logged AU$2.534 in earnings per basic share excluding significant items for fiscal 2026, compared with AU$2.34 a year ago. For the 12 months ended June 30, revenue was AU$47.27 billion versus AU$45.7 billion previously.
Qantas Airways (ASX:QAN) logged AU$0.957 in underlying EPS for fiscal 2026, compared with AU$1.098 a year ago. For the 12 months ended June 30, revenue and other income was AU$25.52 billion versus AU$23.82 billion previously.
Lastly, Ramsay Health Care (ASX:RHC) logged AU$1.51 in underlying EPS for fiscal 2026, compared with AU$1.253 a year ago. For the 12 months ended June 30, total revenue and other income was AU$18.71 billion versus AU$17.8 billion previously.