Asia
Australian Shares Flat; Santos Posts Higher Q2 Total Production
Australian shares were flat with a positive bias on Thursday despite oil prices reaching their highest point in over a month.The S&P/ASX 200 Index was little changed to close at 8,839.Overnight, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.1% and 0.6%, respectively, on Wall Street.Brent crude oil futures rose around 2% to trade around $96 per barrel as the conflict in the Middle East continued and concerns grew over potential supply disruptions linked to threats against shipping routes.Gold prices climbed to trade around $4,116 per ounce amid renewed safe-haven demand, while iron ore futures rose over 1% to around $98 in Singapore.On the domestic front, Australia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained flat at 4.4% in June compared with the previous month, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed. The total number of employed people increased by 76,300, bringing the total to 14.8 million.The improvement in aggregate business conditions in Australia during the June quarter continues to be driven by larger businesses, Westpac said. The Westpac Business Performance Gauge, which represents the ratio of operating revenues to operating expenses, rose 0.2% quarter-over-quarter in the June quarter, a softer pace than in recent quarters, while the Westpac Cashflow Gauge, which represents the ratio of operating revenues to operating expenses plus liabilities, rose 0.3%.In company news, Santos (ASX:STO) reported total production of 23.1 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe) in the second quarter ended June 30, up on last year's 22.2 MMboe.James Hardie Industries (ASX:JHX) expects to report first-quarter fiscal 2027 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of between $399 million and $407 million and net sales of between $1.45 billion and $1.48 billion.Lastly, Karoon Energy (ASX:KAR) reported total production of 1.1 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe) in the second quarter ended June 30, down from last year's 2.9 MMboe.
ASX 200ASX:JHXASX:KARASX:STO
