Australian Shares End Slightly Lower; Zip Posts Higher Fiscal Q3 EBTDA, Upgrades Fiscal 2026 Outlook
Australian shares were slightly lower at Friday's close as investors awaited potential US-Iran diplomacy over the weekend.The S&P/ASX 200 Index slipped 0.1% or 8.1 points to close at 8,946.90.US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel and said talks between the US and Iran may take place over the weekend. Brent crude oil futures fell over 1% to $98.14 per barrel. Spot gold climbed nearly 1% to $4,830.82 per ounce.On the domestic front, card activity in Australia rose 1.2% over the March quarter, with quarterly momentum subdued and slowing on the 2% average seen over the June, September, and December quarters in 2025, according to a report by Westpac. The Westpac-DataX Card Tracker Index declined 2.2 points over the three weeks to April 11.In company news, Zip (ASX:ZIP) reported Friday fiscal third quarter cash earnings before taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBTDA) of AU$65.1 million per share, up from AU$46 million a year earlier. The company said it upgraded its fiscal 2026 group cash EBTDA guidance to be no less than AU$260 million.Alcoa (ASX:AAI) reported Friday first-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.40 per share, down from $2.15 a year earlier. The company expects 2026 total alumina segment production and shipments to remain unchanged from its prior projection, ranging between 9.7 million to 9.9 million metric tons, and between 11.8 million and 12 million metric tons, respectively.Lastly, Paladin Energy (ASX:PDN) said it now expects fiscal 2026 triuranium octoxide production of between 4.5 million and 4.8 million pounds, up from previous guidance of 4 million to 4.4 million pounds, from the Langer Heinrich Mine in Namibia. Its shares reached a near two-year peak during the trading session.
