Asia
Australian Shares Decline; Viva Energy Expects Geelong Refinery Production to Reach Over 90% Capacity in June
Australian shares closed lower on Monday as investors await the Reserve Bank of Australia's monetary policy board meeting on Tuesday.The S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 0.37%, or 32.70 points, to close at 8,697.10.Brent crude oil futures inched up to $108.36 per barrel. US President Donald Trump said the US would start guiding neutral ships in the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.On the domestic front, the ANZ-Indeed Australian job ads fell 0.8% month on month in April to a seasonally adjusted 113.3, following a revised 3.2% decrease to 114.2 in March, ANZ reported.Seasonally adjusted data revealed that the total number of dwellings approved in Australia fell by around 11% to 17,300 in March from 19,339 in the previous month, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed.The Melbourne Institute said its monthly inflation gauge recorded another increase in April, mainly driven by higher recreation-related prices, largely due to rising airfares.In company news, Viva Energy Group (ASX:VEA) expected repairs needed to restart the residue catalytic cracking unit at its fire-hit Geelong Refinery to take about six weeks before the unit returns to operation in June. The refinery expects to produce diesel and jet fuel at about 80% of capacity and petrol at roughly 60% while the unit remains offline. Its shares fell 4% at market close.National Australia Bank (ASX:NAB) reported fiscal first-half cash earnings of AU$0.861 per share, down from AU$1.145 a year earlier. Net operating income for the six months ended March 31 was AU$10.87 billion, compared with AU$10.27 billion a year earlier. Its shares closed down 1%.Lastly, Accent Group (ASX:AX1) lowered its earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) guidance for the second half of fiscal year 2026 after higher fuel prices and deteriorating consumer confidence negatively impacted sales and margins in April. The company now expects fiscal second-half EBIT of AU$23 million to AU$28 million. In February, Accent Group guided for fiscal second-half EBIT of AU$30 million to AU$35 million. Its shares fell 13% on market close.
ASX 200ASX:AX1ASX:NABASX:VEA
