Mid-Market: S&P/ASX 200 Trading Higher; Buoyed By Tech And Healthcare Sectors

Source: Kapitales Research

On 08 January 2026, at AEDT 12:45 PM, the benchmark index S&P/ASX 200 is trading higher today, gaining 36.10 points or 0.42%, and is currently trading at 8,731.70 levels. Out of 11, 7 sectors are trading higher along with the gain in the S&P/ASX 200.

The Information Technology and Healthcare sectors are the top 2 gaining sectors, gaining 1.29% and 1.26% in their index values. On the other hand, Materials and Industrials sectors are the top 2 declining sectors, declining 0.42% and 0.29% in their index values.

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) and Mesoblast Limited (ASX: MSB) are the top-gaining stocks, gaining 7.210% and 6.593% in their stock prices. On the other hand, Droneshield Limited (ASX: DRO) and Ansell Limited (ASX: ANN) are the top-losing stocks and are declining by 6.427% and 5.903% in their stock prices.

Factors influencing the market-

• Australian shares saw modest gains, driven by strong performances in technology stocks, which helped counterbalance losses from a mixed session on Wall Street. The declines in oil and gold prices, along with profit-taking after a strong start to the year for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones, weighed on the broader market.
• BlueScope shares fell by 1% after it rejected a $13.2 billion offer from SGH Limited and an American corporation. In a statement, the company’s chairwoman, Jane McAloon, stated that the company was "worth significantly more than the offer presented." Following the rejection, SGH's stock dropped by 3.4%.
• SGH Limited’s shares jumped 4% after confirming its joint bid with Nasdaq-listed Steel Dynamics to acquire and restructure BlueScope Steel, Australia's largest steelmaker. As a result, BlueScope's stock soared by 20%.
• Ansell Limited’s shares fell by 5.90% following the announcement that CEO Neil Salmon will retire after 13 years with the company. The board has appointed Nathalie Ahlstrom, CEO of Fiskars Group, as his successor. Ahlstrom will join Ansell on January 26 to begin the transition period.
• Oil prices briefly dipped below $60 a barrel due to the potential rise in Venezuelan crude exports. This came after US authorities seized two more sanctioned tankers and announced they were already marketing a portion of the country's oil supply.
• The Dow Jones closed down by 0.94%, S&P 500 declined by 0.34% and Nasdaq was up by 0.16% in the previous session.
• Hang Seng is down by 0.84%, and FTSE 100 is down by 0.73%.

Customer Notice:

Nextgen Global Services Pty Ltd trading as Kapitales Research (ABN 89 652 632 561) is a Corporate Authorised Representative (CAR No. 1293674) of Enva Australia Pty Ltd (AFSL 424494). The information contained in this website is general information only. Any advice is general advice only. No consideration has been given or will be given to the individual investment objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular person. The decision to invest or trade and the method selected is a personal decision and involves an inherent level of risk, and you must undertake your own investigations and obtain your own advice regarding the suitability of this product for your circumstances. Please be aware that all trading activity is subject to both profit & loss and may not be suitable for you. The past performance of this product is not and should not be taken as an indication of future performance.

Kapitales Research, Level 13, Suite 1A, 465 Victoria Ave, Chatswood, NSW 2067, Australia | 1800 005 780 | info@kapitales.com.au