Asia
Australian Shares Down; Euroz Hartleys Group Agrees to Sell Capital Markets Business to BMO Australia
Australian shares closed lower on Tuesday as gold prices fell on prospects of cessation of the conflict in the Middle East, as well as a strengthening US dollar.The S&P/ASX 200 Index declined 0.51%, or by 44.70 points, to close at 8,778.70.Brent crude oil futures were trading around pre-conflict prices of $72 per barrel after the US and Iran had agreed to halt renewed hostilities. Gold fell to around $4,000 per ounce.On the domestic front, Australia's total credit rose 0.7% month over month in May, following a 0.7% increase in April, data from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) showed. Housing credit rose 0.5% after edging 0.6% higher the previous month, while personal credit inched up 0.6%, following a 0.2% increase.Australian consumer confidence rose 3.1 points in the week of June 22 to 28 to 75.9 points, its highest level since early March, ANZ said. The four-week moving average rose 1.8 points to 72.6 points.Almost half, or 46%, of businesses in Australia reported operating expenses had increased over the past four weeks, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed. Fuel prices, which jumped 71%, and business overheads, which rose 65%, were reported as the main reasons for increased operating expenses.In company news, Euroz Hartleys Group's (ASX:EZL) Euroz Hartleys unit agreed to sell its Capital Markets business to BMO Australia, a subsidiary of the Bank of Montreal, for AU$145 million. Euroz Hartleys and BMO will also enter into an alliance agreement to maintain the relationship between the Capital Markets and Private Wealth businesses.Capricorn Metals' (ASX:CMM) Crimson Metals subsidiary received approval from the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water for the expansion and operation of the Mount Gibson project in Western Australia.Collins Foods (ASX:CKF) reported fiscal 2026 underlying earnings of AU$0.52 per basic share from continuing operations, up from AU$0.461 a year earlier. Revenue for the 12 months ended May 3 was AU$1.59 billion, compared with AU$1.47 billion a year earlier.
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