ASX climbs as banks, healthcare lead; Wall Street mixed on trade headlines

ASX climbs as banks, healthcare lead; Wall Street mixed on trade headlines

15 October 2025

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Team Skrill Network
Team Skrill Network
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Key highlights 

 

  • ASX 200: 8,972 (+0.82%); All Ords: 9,279 (+0.76%). Banks, healthcare and materials lead; energy and IT lag. 
  • Wall Street: Dow up 0.4%, S&P 500 −0.16%, Nasdaq −0.76% amid renewed US–China trade noise. 
  • Commodities/FX: Gold ~US$4,185/oz (+1%), Brent ~US$62/bbl (−0.2%), AUD ~US$0.650. 
  • Macro watch: RBA’s Sarah Hunter flags productivity as a key risk; global investors call “AI bubble” the top tail risk (BofA survey). 

     

The Australian market is higher at lunchtime, and the tone is constructive despite a choppy night on Wall Street. Defensive and value pockets are doing most of the work—banks, healthcare and materials—while energy cools alongside oil and tech takes a breather. The move lines up with local sector dashboards and the morning live blogs. 

 

 

The ASX at midday: steady bid, broad participation

 

  • Index level: ASX 200 at 8,972 (+0.82%); All Ords at 9,279 (+0.76%). 
  • Leaders: Health Care (+1.49%), Financials (+1.09%), Materials (+1.06%), with Industrials (+0.77%) not far behind.
  • Laggards: Energy (−0.02%) and Information Technology (−0.31%). 

     

A few individual moves help explain the tape. Telix Pharmaceuticals is on the front foot after stronger Q3 revenue, while IperionX trades higher on full-year results. On the flip side, a handful of resources and defence names are easing after recent strength. (Midday leaderboard snapshots show TLX ~+13.7%; IPX ~+9.9%; decliners include NTU, 29M, ASM, EOS.) 

 

Volatility remains low by local standards, consistent with an environment where investors are digesting headlines rather than reacting to them. (Today’s live dashboards highlight a low VIX reading for the ASX.)

 

ASX 200 Sector 

 

 

The Wall Street backdrop: mixed close, trade noise, and “AI bubble” talk

 

Overnight, US equities finished mixed—Dow up, S&P and Nasdaq down—as trade headlines resurfaced and investors rotated within sectors. AP and Reuters summaries both frame the move as a “pause” rather than a break, with tech softness offset by resilience in parts of industrials and financials. 

 

Two other threads coloured sentiment:

  • Precious metals strength: Gold set fresh records this week and remains around US$4.1k/oz, a sign that some investors are keeping hedges on. 
  • Positioning caution in AI: The latest Bank of America Global Fund Manager Survey names an “AI equity bubble” as the top global tail risk, with a majority calling AI-linked assets stretched. That caution was echoed by JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon, who said “a lot of assets [are]
 in some form of bubble territory.” 

     

Why this matters locally: When Wall Street rotates but doesn’t roll over, the ASX often leans on banks and defensives for direction—exactly today’s mix. The AI-bubble debate can weigh on growth/semis, which helps explain the softer local tech read-through versus the firmer banks/health. 

 

 

Macro: the RBA’s take and the Aussie dollar

 

Closer to home, RBA Assistant Governor (Economic) Sarah Hunter used a Sydney appearance to stress that productivity remains a swing factor for the outlook—reminding markets that risks run on both sides of the Bank’s August projections. Separately, Bloomberg noted the RBA has downgraded trend productivity assumptions in those forecasts. Bottom line: nothing in the speech jars with near-term policy expectations, and markets read it as steady-as-she-goes. 

 

The AUD is hovering near US$0.650, basically flat to modestly firmer on the session, with FX boards reflecting a calm day for the major crosses. 

 

 

Commodities snapshot: gold firm, oil softer, copper steady

 

 

  • Gold: ~US$4,185/oz (+1%)—a supportive backdrop for local gold miners, which are modestly higher on the session. 
  • Oil: Brent ~US$62/bbl (−0.2%) and WTI ~US$58.6/bbl (−0.16%)—a small headwind for energy. 
  • Copper: ~US$4.99/lb (+0.27%), taking some pressure off diversified miners. 

     

What could guide the close (and tonight)

 

Here’s the simple watch-list for the afternoon and the overnight hand-off:

  1. Sector breadth: If health care and banks keep leading, the ASX 200 should hold gains even if tech remains soft. 
  2. Gold and copper tape: A steady precious-metals bid and firm copper price favour materials into the close. 
  3. US open tone: Another mixed Wall Street session wouldn’t be a surprise; watch how AI-heavy tech trades versus financials/industrials given the survey-driven caution. 

     

 

For newer investors: how to read a day like this

 

  • A higher ASX with banks/healthcare leading usually signals risk-on, but selective—investors are adding exposure, yet still favour earnings visibility.
  • Tech softness isn’t a verdict on the whole sector; it often reflects global rotation themes (right now: AI positioning angst). 
  • Gold at records doesn’t mean panic—it can also reflect portfolio hedging while stocks hold near highs. 
     

Disclaimer - Skrill Network is designed solely for educational and informational use. The content on this website should not be considered as investment advice or a directive. Before making any investment choices, it is crucial to carry out your own research, taking into account your individual investment objectives and personal situation. If you're considering investment decisions influenced by the information on this website, you should either seek independent financial counsel from a qualified expert or independently verify and research the information.

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