Australian shares closed up on Tuesday as investors reacted to new sanctions on Iran.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index gained 0.68%, or 61.50 points, to close at 9,164.60.
Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell by 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite by 0.8%. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones gained 0.3%.
Brent crude futures rose to trade around $92 per barrel as the US sought to increase economic pressure on Iran.
On the domestic front, the ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence rose 1 point to 77.5 in the week of Aug. 24 to Aug. 30, with the series now at its highest level since the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, ANZ Research reported.
The Reserve Bank of Australia's Monetary Policy Board considered raising the cash rate by 25 basis points at its August meeting before ultimately deciding to hold, with members debating whether upside risks to inflation warranted pre-emptive action or whether existing policy settings were already sufficiently restrictive, according to minutes of the meeting.
In company news, Woodside Energy Group (ASX:WDS) logged $0.873 in earnings per share for the first half, compared with $0.688 a year ago. For the six months ended June 30, operating revenue was $7.45 billion versus $6.59 billion previously.
Viva Energy Group (ASX:VEA) logged AU$0.227 in underlying EPS on a replacement cost basis for the first half of the year, compared with AU$0.039 a year ago. For the six months ended June 30, revenue was AU$16.49 billion versus AU$14.96 billion previously.
Lastly, ARB (ASX:ARB) logged AU$1.107 in earnings per share for fiscal 2026, compared with AU$1.177 a year ago. For the 12 months ended June 30, sales revenue was AU$702 million versus AU$729.9 million previously. Its shares closed up over 12%.