2h agoTue 20 Jan 2026 at 1:20amMarket snapshot
- ASX 200: -0.5% to 8,830 points (live values below)
- Australian dollar: flat to 67.09 US cents
- Asia: Nikkei -0.8%
- Wall Street: S&P500 -0.1%, Dow -0.2%, Nasdaq -0.1%
- Europe: Dax -1.3%, FTSE -0.4%, Eurostoxx -1.2%
- Spot gold: flat to $US4,670/ounce
- Brent crude: +0.2% to $US 64.05/barrel
- Iron ore: -0.6% to $US105.50/tonne
- Bitcoin: -0.2% to $US92,704
Prices current at around 12:20pm AEDT
Live updates on the major ASX indices:
1m agoTue 20 Jan 2026 at 4:00am
Extension of Eraring coal plant ‘total failure’: climate experts
Climate and green energy experts say the decision by Origin Energy to keep the country’s biggest coal-fired power plant, Eraring in NSW, open for an additional two years is a sign renewables haven’t been built fast enough.
They say it means higher electricity bills because the cheapest power in the NSW grid comes from renewable energy.
Tim Buckley, the founder and director of Climate Energy Finance, says the news Eraring will be extended to April 2029 is “disappointing”.
“This reflects a total failure of planning by Origin to protect its customers,” he says.
“Origin Energy has failed to build any replacement generation capacity despite knowing for decades Eraring is due for closure.
“We need permanent solutions – new capacity – at speed and scale, not yet more bandaids on unreliable end-of-life coal plant clunkers (Callide C in Queensland last week had yet another outage).”
Johanna Bowyer, lead analyst for Australian electricity at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, says continuing to extend the life of elderly coal-fired plants “scares off new renewable investment”.
“Clear, credible coal closure dates are essential if we want new clean energy built on time,” she says.
“Extending coal plant lifespans before fully utilising lower-cost, cleaner options like energy efficiency and appliance upgrades in NSW homes is a missed opportunity.”
Read more on Eraring’s two-year stay of execution here:
23m agoTue 20 Jan 2026 at 3:38am
Aussie dollar above 67 US cents
The local currency is up almost 0.2% today, reaching 67.25 US cents. Here are some of CBA’s morning currency notes, where its analysts discuss the price move.
The main support came from a weaker USD amid the escalating dispute between the US and the EU over control of Greenland. The trade spat is likely to escalate before it de‑escalates.
Yesterday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC that Donald Trump’s stance toward Europe is not a negotiating tactic and that “the president believes enhanced security is not possible without Greenland being part of the US. “
A downgrade to the global economic outlook because of tariff uncertainty is negative for risk sentiment and therefore AUD/USD.
48m agoTue 20 Jan 2026 at 3:13am
Gold and silver trading high amid US-Greenland saga
Gold and silver are trading at near-record highs on Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump’s threats to acquire Greenland soured global sentiment and sparked a rush into safe-haven assets.
Spot gold was steady at $US4,671.54 per ounce, as of 12:18pm AEDT, after scaling an all-time high of $US4,689.39 in the previous session.
US gold futures for February delivery climbed 1.8% to $US4,676.80 per ounce.
Spot silver fell 1.2% to $US93.53 an ounce, after hitting a record high of $US94.72 earlier in the session.
Mr Trump has intensified his push to wrest sovereignty over Greenland from fellow NATO member Denmark, prompting the European Union to weigh in and hit back with its own measures.
The dollar retreated to its lowest level in a week after the White House threatened the European Union over the future of Greenland, triggering a broad sell-off across US stocks and government bonds.
Reporting with Reuters
1h agoTue 20 Jan 2026 at 2:37am
Australian government issues new 11-year treasury bond
The Australian Office of Financial Management (AOFM) has confirmed it will raise billions in a new 11-year bond issue on Tuesday.
The 21 October 2037 Treasury Bond is planned to be issued via syndication this week, AOFM said on its website.
It says the joint lead managers are Barrenjoey, National Australia Bank, UBS and Westpac Banking Corporation.
However, the government’s funding arm has not revealed the issue size.
2h agoTue 20 Jan 2026 at 1:46am
BHP strategically focuses on copper: analyst
BHP’s half-year update has shown steady execution across iron ore and coal, providing a solid base for the business, eToro’s market analyst Zavier Wong has said.
However, Mr Wong says it’s no surprise that copper is the headline investors are focused on.
“BHP lifting copper production guidance highlights just how strategically important the metal has become, both for the company and the global economy.
“Record production at Escondida shows BHP is executing well operationally at a time when copper prices are up around 37% year-over-year, driven by electrification, EV demand and grid investment.
“BHP is clearly positioning copper as a long-term growth pillar, with a pathway towards 2 million tonnes of production in the 2030s.
“Over the past 12 months, we have seen just how critical copper has become for the world’s largest miners as they look to secure future supply, highlighted by BHP’s recent failed takeover attempt of Anglo American and Rio Tinto’s current bid for Glencore.
“For investors, this reinforces why copper is increasingly being viewed as a long-term structural theme.
“This is not just a short-term boost from prices, but part of a much broader shift in the commodity cycle.”
2h agoTue 20 Jan 2026 at 1:22amSeven sectors slip along with ASX 200
The ASX 200 is lower today, dropping 39.60 points, or by 0.5%, to 8,835, as of 12:12pm AEDT.
The bottom-performing stocks in this index are Orora Group and Lynas Rare Earths, down 7.6% and 6.3%, respectively.
Over the last five days, the index has gained 0.3% and is currently 3.1% off of its 52-week high.
Looking at sectors, 7 of 11 are lower today, along with the ASX 200.
Utilities is the top mover sector, gaining 1% and 1.5% for the past five days.
3h agoTue 20 Jan 2026 at 1:01am
A2 appoints new CMO after shares ploughed yesterday
The A2 Milk Company has named Helena He as its new chief marketing officer (CMO), following a tumble in its share price on Monday.
The tumble coincided with the release of data reporting the total number of births in A2’s key market, China, had fallen to its lowest level in decades.
Ms He has significant experience in the China infant milk formula and vitamins, minerals and supplements categories, the company says in a statement.
David Bortolussi, A2’s managing director and CEO, said Ms He’s marketing and general management experience in China, combined with her deep knowledge of Chinese consumers, made her “an excellent fit” for the business.
“Helena will have a significant impact on our future brand development, innovation and growth.”
A2’s shares were trading down 1.3%, at $8.2 per share as of 11:57am AEDT.
3h agoTue 20 Jan 2026 at 12:44amBHP reports record first-half iron ore production, flags price concessions
BHP has accepted lower prices for some iron ore during annual contract negotiations with China, it has told the market, as it reported record first-half production of the key steelmaking ingredient.
The Melbourne-headquartered miner also flagged a 20% jump in costs for its Jansen potash project in Canada.
BHP is currently negotiating annual contract terms with state iron ore buyer China Mineral Resources Group (CMRG). It said it was looking to sell more of its products in other markets.
“During negotiations, we continue to optimise product placement distribution channels and take actions within our operations to preserve operational flexibility and productivity,” the mining giant said in a statement.
“This has seen some impact to realised price.”
The statement is a rare acknowledgement from the world’s biggest listed miner about the impact of its protracted negotiations with CMRG, which has been trying to extract better terms for Chinese steelmakers, in an unfolding scenario that will be closely watched by its peers.
While BHP has been raising its copper production, iron ore remains its biggest profit generator.
Since September, China’s state-owned iron ore buyer had ordered steel mills and traders to stop purchasing multiple types of BHP iron ore, Reuters reported.
RBC capital markets analyst Kaan Peker said CMRG’s restrictions on purchases by Chinese steelmakers were likely to tighten spot market availability and support the headline index price, offsetting the higher discounts BHP was facing.
BHP shares were trading down 1.1% at 11:37am AEDT.
Reporting with Reuters
3h agoTue 20 Jan 2026 at 12:29am
Crude oil up slightly after China posted December quarter GDP data: analyst
WTI Crude Oil is trading modestly higher at $US59.43, up 0.4%, finding some support from yesterday’s better-than-expected Q4 2025 GDP data out of China, where growth came in at 4.5% year-on-year (beating the 4.4% consensus), IG market analyst Tony Sycamore has said.
The full-year figure hit exactly 5.0%, meeting Beijing’s target.
This resilience in the world’s top oil importer provided a lift to demand sentiment, Mr Sycamore adds.
“Adding to the upside, USD weakness — sparked by markets selling the dollar in response to President Trump’s ongoing tariff threats over Greenland, offered support for the commodity,” he said.
“Following last week’s rejection of the upside, crude oil is likely to remain range-bound: trading below the 200-day moving average (currently hovering around $US62.20) — a key level it hasn’t cleared since August 2025—and above medium-term support at $US55.00 coming from last year’s lows, for the foreseeable future.”
3h agoTue 20 Jan 2026 at 12:10am
Comments from the analysts
Analysts are not surprised European stocks dropped overnight, as market participants priced in the potential impact of tariff hikes and the general uncertainty surrounding global trade policy.
Senior financial market analyst Kyle Rodda says “US futures are also lower, pointing to a drop when Wall Street re-opens on Tuesday”.
“All of this instability in the world is keeping a strong bid underneath precious metals, which remain around record highs. There’s a countdown clock for gold and silver hitting $US4700 and $US100 respectively.
“The US dollar is down as the Trump administration’s erratic foreign policy reignited the so-called ‘sell America’ trade.”
4h agoMon 19 Jan 2026 at 11:55pmOrigin extension of coal-fired plant
Here is a more detailed picture on the announcement that the country’s biggest coal-fired power station will stay open for another two years by my colleague Mary-Louise Vince.
NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said in a statement that Origin’s decision gave “certainty to workers, the market and energy consumers across the state”.
She said current energy security projections showed the state was expected to have “sufficient energy supply when Eraring closes in 2029, thanks to new renewable generation and storage coming online”.
You can read the full piece below:
4h agoMon 19 Jan 2026 at 11:44pmMarket snapshot
- ASX 200: -0.4% to 8,842 points
- Australian dollar: -0.1% to 67.09 US cents
- US futures: Dow futures -0.8%, S&P 500 futures -0.9%
- FTSE: -0.4% to 10,195 points
- Spot gold: -0.1% to $US4,665/ounce
- Oil (Brent crude): +0.1% at $US64.18/barrel
- Iron ore: -1.3% to $US104.95/tonne
- Bitcoin: -0.3% to $US92,599
Price current around 10:40am AEDT
4h agoMon 19 Jan 2026 at 11:40pmWhy has Origin Energy extended the life of its largest plant?
Origin Energy is up 0.2% in morning trade as the Eraring coal-fired electricity generation plant announced an almost-two-year extension.
Origin Energy is the parent company to the plant — the largest in Australia.
The plant will now operate until April 30, 2029, the second extension after a prior announcement it was to operate until 2027.
Origin Energy says the latest extension decision is a result of the slower-than-expected rollout of renewables in Australia (other than rooftop solar), which has been taking longer than the federal government’s forecast, particularly Snowy Hydro 2.0.
“We also assume the government likely has growing concerns about the reliability associated with Australia’s aging coal-fired generation fleet and its possible future impact on electricity supply and prices, particularly after Eraring’s closure. Eraring is Australia’s largest coal-fired power plant with a capacity of 2880 MW.
“We see an indirect impact of this extension decision being to possibly reduce what may have been higher future wholesale electricity pricing in New South Wales if the plant had closed at its prior planned date of August 2027.”
4h agoMon 19 Jan 2026 at 11:13pmASX morning movements
In the first 10 minutes of trading, there are 146 stocks on the ASX 200 in the red, 13 unchanged, and 41 gaining.
Here are the top movers, with Hub24 Ltd leading morning trade, up 7.5%.
ASX 200 top movers (Refinitiv)
And here are the bottom movers, with ARB Corporation Ltd down -14.2%.
ASX 200 bottom movers (Refinitv)
The Aussie dollar is trading at 67 US cents.
4h agoMon 19 Jan 2026 at 11:06pmAll major sectors are down
All of the major sectors on the ASX 200 are down in morning trade. Take a look at the table below:
Academic & Educational Services are down the bottom -1.5%, and Consumer Non-Cyclicals are up the top, down just -0.03%.
4h agoMon 19 Jan 2026 at 11:01pmASX opens down
The ASX 200 has opened in the red, down -0.3% to 8,836 points.
More to come.
5h agoMon 19 Jan 2026 at 10:31pmExtension of Origin’s Eraring coal-fired power station confirmed
The country’s largest coal-fired power station — Origin’s Eraring near Lake Macquarie, 1.5 hours north of Sydney — will remain in operation until April 30, 2029, after originally being slated to close in August 2027, the company has confirmed.
“We’ve taken the decision to extend Eraring’s operations after assessing a range of factors, including the needs of our customers, market conditions and the important role the plan plays in the NSW energy system,” Origin CEO Frank Calabria said in an ASX statement.
“Good progress is being made on the delivery of new energy infrastructure including major transmission works and projects like our large-scale battery at Eraring, but it has become clear Eraring Power Station will need to run for longer to support secure and stable power supply.”
You can read some background to the debate around Eraring’s life in this report from Rhiana Whitson:
5h agoMon 19 Jan 2026 at 10:30pm
Fish deaths and AI
The operators behind an innovative solution to prevent mass fish deaths are feeling confident as the $6.52 million trial draws closer to its three-year mark.
Using AI to identify and transport native species from the Darling River in far-west New South Wales into the Menindee Lakes, results have so far proved “promising”.
However, the Finnish company behind the temporary fish passage faces an uphill battle to prove to locals the taxpayer-funded project will pay off.
You can read the full report from Bill Ormonde and Oliver Brown below:
5h agoMon 19 Jan 2026 at 10:14pmOrigin extends Eraring Power Station until 2029
Origin Energy has announced it will extend the operations of its Eraring Power Station until 2029, to “support energy supply in New South Wales through the energy transition”.
The black coal power plant near Lake Macquarie was previously slated for closure in August 2027.