ASX200 Opens Lower as Iron Ore Dips; Energy and Uranium Stocks Buck the Trend

June 18, 2025 11:42 AM AEST | By Team Kalkine Media

Google News:

ASX200 Opens Lower as Iron Ore Dips; Energy and Uranium Stocks Buck the Trend — Image source: shutterstock

Recent News

ASX200-Linked Startup Kiki Exits NYC After Regulatory Crackdown

ASX300 Market Movers: Top Winners & Losers on June 17 – ASX300

ASX 200 edges lower amid geopolitical strains; Emyria, Archtis, and Ne...

ASX300 Gold Stock Faces Scrutiny Over Online Promotional Activity

Highlights

Iron ore miners weigh down ASX200

Energy sector gains on global crude surge

Uranium and healthcare stocks show resilience

Australian shares opened in the red on Wednesday, pressured by a global market pullback and a notable drop in iron ore prices. The ASX 200 index slipped by 17.2 points, or 0.2%, to 8,524.1 by 10:30am AEST, with six of the eleven major sectoral indices recording losses.

Iron Ore Miners Drag on Market

The downturn was led by some of the nation’s biggest mining companies, as iron ore prices fell to their lowest levels since September last year. Heavyweights such as Fortescue Metals Group (ASX:FMG) declined by 2.8%, while BHP Group (ASX:BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) slipped 1.2% and 0.8%, respectively.

Mid-tier miners also followed the trend. Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) dropped 3.3%, Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) fell 2.6%, and Liontown Resources (ASX:LTR) lost 2.2%. The overall sentiment around mining was dampened by softening demand signals from key Asian markets, affecting both spot prices and investor outlook.

Energy Sector Rallies on Crude Oil Surge

In contrast, the energy sector emerged as a strong performer. Rising global crude oil prices, driven by escalating geopolitical tensions between Israel and Iran, supported gains among several ASX200 stocks.

Beach Energy (ASX:BPT) led the pack with a 3.7% rise, closely followed by Viva Energy (ASX:VEA) at 3.4%, Ampol (ASX:ALD) up 3.2%, and Karoon Energy (ASX:KAR) gaining 2.7%. Larger players such as Woodside Energy (ASX:WDS) and Santos (ASX:STO) also posted modest advances of 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively.

This positive performance in the energy space offered a partial offset to the drag from materials and resources.

Other Movers: Uranium and Healthcare

Among the day's standouts was uranium producer Boss Energy (ASX:BOE), which gained 2.2% after announcing that its flagship Honeymoon project met its full-year production guidance — a development well received by the market. This lifted sentiment around the broader uranium sector and demonstrated the resilience of alternative energy plays.

Hearing implant manufacturer Cochlear (ASX:COH) also climbed 2%, following a favourable analyst update. Its strong market fundamentals and innovation focus continued to support investor confidence.

Disclaimer

The content, including but not limited to any articles, news, quotes, information, data, text, reports, ratings, opinions, images, photos, graphics, graphs, charts, animations and video (Content) is a service of Kalkine Media Pty Ltd (Kalkine Media, we or us), ACN 629 651 672 and is available for personal and non-commercial use only. The principal purpose of the Content is to educate and inform. The Content does not contain or imply any recommendation or opinion intended to influence your financial decisions and must not be relied upon by you as such. Some of the Content on this website may be sponsored/non-sponsored, as applicable, but is NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold the stocks of the company(s) or engage in any investment activity under discussion. Kalkine Media is neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice through this platform. Users should make their own enquiries about any investments and Kalkine Media strongly suggests the users to seek advice from a financial adviser, stockbroker or other professional (including taxation and legal advice), as necessary. Kalkine Media hereby disclaims any and all the liabilities to any user for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising from any use of the Content on this website, which is provided without warranties. The views expressed in the Content by the guests, if any, are their own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Kalkine Media. Some of the images/music that may be used on this website are copyright to their respective owner(s). Kalkine Media does not claim ownership of any of the pictures displayed/music used on this website unless stated otherwise. The images/music that may be used on this website are taken from various sources on the internet, including paid subscriptions or are believed to be in public domain. We have used reasonable efforts to accredit the source wherever it was indicated as or found to be necessary.