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The ASX 200 closed up today, gaining 12.10 points to 8,820 and setting a new 20-day high.
Overall, the market had 107 stocks gaining, five unchanged and 88 stocks in the red.
When looking at individual stocks, Karoon Energy at the top; up 7.4%, followed by IperionX; up 7.2% and then Neuren Pharmaceuticals; up 6%.
Block Inc finished at the bottom; down 3.4%, followed by Nickel Industries; down 2.7%, and then Mesoblast; down 2.2%.
Among sectors, Energy was the best performer, gaining 2.3% and 4.5% over the past five days.
Eight of 11 sectors ended higher along with the index.
China's exports remained strong in 2025, with producers shifting focus away from the US to South-East Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Its trade surplus came in at $US1.189 trillion, a figure on par with the GDP of many large economies.
Economists expect China to continue gaining global market share this year, helped by Chinese firms setting up overseas production hubs.
Read more here:
Beleaguered luxury retailer Saks Global has filed for bankruptcy protection in one of the largest retail collapses since the pandemic.
The move casts uncertainty over the future of US luxury fashion barely a year after a takeover that brought Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus under the same roof.
According to Reuters, the brand is close to finalising a $US1.75 billion ($2.6 billion) financing package with creditors that would allow its stores to remain open.
The company's biggest unsecured creditors are Chanel and Gucci owner Kering at about $US136 million and $US60 million, respectively, the court filing said.
A retailer long loved by the rich and famous, from Gary Cooper to Grace Kelly, Saks fell on hard times after the COVID pandemic, as competition from online outlets rose and brands started more frequently selling items through their own stores.
In 2024, parent company Hudson's Bay bet on scale by merging it with rival Neiman Marcus, creating the entity now known as Saks Global.
The $US2.7 billion deal was built on about $US2 billion in debt financing and equity contributions from investors, including Amazon, Salesforce and Authentic Brands.
Reporting with Reuters
Price current around 4:30pm AEDT
Live updates on the major ASX indices:
The AUD started the week with positive momentum, supported by USD weakness linked to concerns about Federal Reserve independence, according to ANZ.
However, the sustainability of AUD strength remains uncertain given the geopolitical tensions, it notes.
The bank says that while no major domestic data is scheduled this week, one key event to watch is the US Supreme Court's decision on tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
During 2025, job vacancies have been broadly steady: 327k in Q1, lifting to 336k in Q2, before returning to 327k in Q3 and holding at this level in Q4, Westpac's economist Ryan Wells says.
This is about 40% higher than pre-pandemic levels, he adds.
"While vacancies have been fairly stable recently, the size of the labour force has continued to grow, seeing the vacancy rate continue to nudge lower," Mr Wells says.
"At the same time, the unemployment rate has continued to gradually move higher."
He says the unemployment rate is forecasted to lift to 4.6% by year-end, meaning the vacancy rate will ease to about 1.8% from 2.1% currently.
Mr Wells has pointed out that the stark contrast between private and public-sector vacancies remains a key dynamic.
"Vacancies in the private sector (88% of total) fell by 1.4k (–0.5%) in Q4 and are down by 21.1k (–6.8%) over 2025.
"Meanwhile, in the public sector (12% of total), vacancies rose by 0.7k (+1.8%) in Q4 and are up +3.3k (+9.2%) over 2025."
It hasn't quite gone up in smoke, but a deal between two pot stocks has definitely been rolled tighter.
Read on for a story involving Married At First Sight, dope for pets and, of course, the stock exchange.
Listed pot play Argent BioPharma has announced a "streamlined" deal to buy assets from another marijuana group, AusCann.
Argent had previously agreed to buy AusCann's "core assets" in an all-scrip deal valued at $15 million.
But it now says it will only buy AusCann's 48% of CannPal, which is developing medical marijuana products for pets, for $2 million worth of Argent stock.
The other 52% of CannPal belongs to AusCann's former boss, and former MAFS contestant, Layton Mills.
It's not quite a joint venture — Mills bought the stake off his old shop in 2024 for $1 in a deal that relieved AusCann of the obligation to keep funding the pet project.
AusCann was itself listed on the ASX until August last year, when it was removed from the exchange for failing to pay its listing fees.
China's exports of rare earths in December fell 20% from the month before to 4,392 metric tonnes, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Wednesday.
Exports from the world's largest producer of the group of 17 minerals rose 12.9% from the prior year to 62,585.2 tonnes in 2025, customs data showed.
Reporting with Reuters
ANZ Research team says it continues to expect the RBA to keep the cash rate at 3.60% for an extended period.
"Though, as per our 2026 outlook, we think the risks of a rate hike in early 2026 have risen.
"And if the RBA hikes in 2026, we think that would be more likely to occur in the first half of the year than the second."
ANZ points out that headline CPI rose 3.4% y/y in November, below expectations, largely due to larger-than-expected price declines in discretionary retail.
"Trimmed mean inflation was 3.2% y/y in November, in line with market expectations.
"The data makes it likely that trimmed mean inflation will be 0.8% q/q in Q4, which we consider supports a hold from the RBA in February.
"The Australian Government's 2025-26 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook showed little change relative to the May 2025 Budget.
"The deficit in 2025-26 is now estimated at $36.8 billion (from $42.1 billion) while the three forward estimate years show only small changes since May."