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ASX 200 · Australia^AXJO
Australia's top-200 index — iron-ore miners and the big-four banks, the first major market open each day.
Past week: -1.10%
30-day price
Where the chart sits — description, not prediction
Trading above both its 50-day (8,752.16) and 200-day (8,783.70) averages — the longer-term trend reads as up. 30-day range 8,496.60–8,966.30; currently in the upper third of that range. RSI(14) 55 — momentum roughly neutral.
Computed from daily closing prices (Yahoo Finance), June 23, 2026. Compare all markets →
What is ASX 200 · Australia?
The S&P/ASX 200 tracks the 200 largest float-adjusted stocks on the Australian Securities Exchange in Sydney. Launched 31 March 2000, co-managed by S&P Dow Jones Indices and the ASX and reconstituted quarterly, it covers about 82% of Australia's market value.
Two sectors dominate: Financials (~28%) and Materials (~20-25%). The big-four banks — Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Westpac and ANZ — are over a quarter of the index, while BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue tie it to iron ore, where China is roughly 70% of seaborne demand. The ASX is the first major developed market to open each day (its session is midnight-6:00 AM ET), so it is a clean read on how Asia-Pacific is digesting the prior US session.
What has moved ASX 200 · Australia
2007-09 crisis: -54.5% from 6,851 to 3,121
The ASX 200 peaked at 6,851 in November 2007 and fell 54.5% to 3,121 by March 2009 as the big banks faced the global credit freeze. Aggressive RBA cuts and large fiscal stimulus helped Australia dodge recession, but the index did not reclaim its high until July 2019.
COVID crash: -36% in 33 days to ~4,546
From a January 2020 high above 7,000 the index fell 36% to about 4,546 by 23 March 2020, including a 9.7% single-day drop on 16 March — its worst in over 30 years — before rate cuts and stimulus drove a fast recovery.
China iron-ore swings drive the index
China buys ~70% of seaborne iron ore, mostly from Australia. In 2024 the ASX 200 Materials sector fell 17.3% on weaker Chinese construction even as Financials rose 28.2% — a stark split inside one index, all hinging on demand 15,000 km away.
2024 record run to 8,477 on 28 Nov 2024
The ASX set five all-time highs in 2024, reaching 8,477 on 28 November, led by the banks — Commonwealth Bank's market value hit roughly A$289 billion — and topped 9,000 for the first time in August 2025.
Notable moments
The superannuation engine
Australia's compulsory retirement system (employers contribute ~11.5% of wages) holds over A$3.5 trillion, much of it invested at home. That creates persistent structural demand for ASX blue-chips — especially the banks and BHP — supporting premium valuations.
A bank bigger than the miners
Commonwealth Bank, privatised in the 1990s, grew to roughly A$289 billion — at times the largest company in the index, ahead of BHP — trading at a valuation premium to global banking peers thanks to Australia's banking oligopoly and decades of unbroken growth.
Common questions
Why does the ASX follow the prior night's US close?
Australians wake to a Wall Street result that happened while they slept; ASX futures absorb the US move before the 10:00 AM Sydney open. A strong US session usually means a higher ASX open, though local earnings, RBA decisions and China data add their own signals.
Why so concentrated in banks and miners?
Australia's economy leans on a financialised housing market (the big-four banks) and commodity exports to Asia (iron ore, coal). Because the index is cap-weighted and these have created the most value, they dominate — amplifying both booms and busts.
What time does it trade in US Eastern?
Roughly midnight-6:00 AM ET (an hour earlier under Australian daylight saving), fully closed before US pre-market — so it is an overnight read, with SPI futures trading after. Educational only, not investment advice.
Is there currency risk for US investors?
Yes — the index is in Australian dollars, a 'commodity currency' that tends to weaken in risk-off conditions, which can compound a falling ASX for unhedged US holders.