Australian shares rise as NAB hits record, NZ equities jump

Feb 18, 2026, 13:21 GMT+7
Key points:

• ASX200 notches best day in a week and closes back above 9,000 mark
• NZ50 logs best day in 9 months; RNBZ keeps rates steady
• Banks led the charge, buoyed by NAB's record high
• BlueScope jumps 2.6% on a sweetened A$15 bln bid

By Kumar Tanishk
Reuters - Australian shares rose on Wednesday after National Australia Bank hit a record high, while New Zealand equities advanced after the central bank held rates and signalled policy would remain accommodative.
The S&P/ASX 200gained 0.5% to close at 9,007 points, reclaiming the 9,000 level for the first time since last Wednesday and extending gains to a third straight session.
Despite strong earnings, investors remained cautious about how banks would fare once the Reserve Bank of Australia begins raising rates, a move that could pressure asset quality and curb credit demand.
Down south, in a widely expected move, New Zealand's central bank held rates steady at 2.25%, saying it was confident inflation would return to its target band.
The benchmark S&P/NZX 50 indexgained 1.7% to 13,247.02 points, logging their best day in over 9 months.
In Syndey, Financials, up 0.6%, have climbed in the past two weeks on the back of robust earnings from all four major banks, with National Australia Bank'srising as much as 5.8% to a record high after reporting a 16% growth in its first-quarter cash earnings.
While major lenders remain high-quality and effectively "too big to fail", much of their risk is clustered in housing and domestic economy growth, Hayden Beamish, CIO at Endeavor Asset Management said.
Insurer Suncorpfell 4.4% to close at its lowest in a year after reporting a worse-than-expected slide in first-half earnings, to cap some of the sector's gains.
Minerseased 0.1%, with BHPslipping 0.9% after its record high in the previous session, a bout of profit-taking, as per Beamish. While rivals Rio Tintoand Fortescuefirmed 1.3% and 0.5%, respectively.
BlueScope Steeladvanced 2.6% to log their best day in a month after revealing it was weighing an improved A$15 billion ($10.60 billion) takeover proposal from SGHand U.S's Steel Dynamics.
Oil producer Santosslipped 0.6% on posting a sharper-than-expected drop in annual profit.
($1 = 1.4150 Australian dollars)

Sumber : Reuters