ASX down as majors go ex-dividend; Collins Foods soars

The Australian sharemarket was lower at the open on Tuesday as strong gains by gold miners driven by the precious metal trading near a record high was offset by broad-based falls elsewhere.
The S&P/ASX 200 index was down 0.3 per cent, or 23.5 points to 8904.20 at 10.15am AEST - a fresh two-week low - as Wall Street was closed overnight due to the Labour Day holiday.
Gold resumed its upward march towards $US3500 and silver climbed above $US40 an ounce for the first time since 2011 on expectations that the Federal Reserve will lower rates at its September meeting, according to ANZ.
Materials were the sole sector higher led by gold miners. Evolution Mining rose 1.4 per cent, Perseus Mining by 2 per cent and Newmont by 0.3 per cent. The larger miners also helped to limit losses on the index as BHP edged up 0.2 per cent and Rio Tinto by 0.6 per cent.
The bourse was also weighed down as several large companies went ex-dividend. Wesfarmers slumped 2.4 per cent, Woolworths 2.4 per cent, Bendigo Bank 3.6 per cent and Santos by 2.6 per cent.
The major banks Commonwealth Bank, ANZ and National Australia Bank were all flat. Westpac was unchanged at $38.25 after it told investors its business banking division has seen lending increase by 15 per cent in the year to June, driving a 19 per cent return on tangible equity.
Stocks on the move
In company news, KFC operator Collins Foods, soared 5.1 per cent as it reported a 6.7 per cent lift in total sales for the first 18 weeks of the 2026 financial year. It also company reaffirmed FY26 guidance, targeting underlying net profit after tax growth in the low-to-mid teens on a percentage basis.
Retail property manager Region Group fell 0.2 per cent as it appointed Hong Kong-based Greg Chubb to the role of chief executive from March 2026.
Fund manager Platinum Asset Management dived 5.1 per cent as a large client will pull $580 million from its managed funds, just weeks before it is due to merge with L1 Capital.

Sumber : AFR