Australian shares fell slightly at market close on Monday as uncertainty around the resolution of the conflict in the Middle East continued to weigh on investor confidence.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index closed 0.33% lower, or by 31 points, at 9,232.60.
Overnight on Aug. 7, the Nasdaq Composite, the S&P 500, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.3%, 0.6%, and 0.3%, respectively.
Brent crude futures rose nearly 1% to around $84 per barrel. Iran said it is negotiating a deal with Oman on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz but reiterated that the US would have to meet its other conditions.
In company news, Westpac Banking (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC) logged AU$1.8 billion in net profit excluding notable items for the fiscal third quarter. In the same period a year ago, net profit excluding notable items was AU$1.9 billion. For the three months ended June 30, net operating income was AU$5.7 billion, unchanged from a year earlier. Its shares fell over 5% on market close.
FleetPartners Group (ASX:FPR) said it received an indicative, non-binding and conditional offer after market close on Aug. 7 from Element Fleet Management to acquire all of the outstanding shares in FleetPartners via a scheme of arrangement at an indicative cash consideration of AU$3.80 apiece.
CAR Group (ASX:CAR) logged AU$1.076 in adjusted EPS for fiscal year 2026, compared with AU$0.998 a year ago. For the 12 months ended June 30, revenue was AU$1.25 billion versus AU$1.18 billion previously.