End of Day Report – Friday 1 August: ASX 200 drops 81, unchanged for the week | Banks slide

The ASX 200 fell hard down 81 points to 8663 (-0.9%) to close the week, pretty much where it started. Banks which had been holding their end up, succumbed to gravity with CBA down 1.6% and NAB falling 1.2% as the Big Bank Basket dropped to $277.82 (-1.3%). MQG fell hard down 1.7% with insurers also under pressure, QBE down 1.3% and SUN off 1.5%. REITs eased back, GMG down 1.5% and SCG off 0.5% with industrials weak across the board. WES fell 0.9% and ALL down 1.2% with patches of green in retail, JBH up 0.8%. FLT bounced back a little up % and QAN up 0.3%. Tech stocks smacked hard, WTC down 2.6% and XRO falling 3.5% with the All-Tech Index down 1.8%. Healthcare hit with CSL down 2.5% on tariff news.  Resources which have been hurtie all week saw some buyers return. Iron ore picked up in Asia, BHP unchanged and FMG up 1.1%. Rare earths saw some buying LYC up 3.3% and MIN up 4.4% in the lithium space. PLS too rallied 4.1%. Gold miners fell, EVN down 0.8% and NEM off 0.5%.  Uranium stocks tried to find some support after the fallout of the BOE downgrade this week. PDN up 0.5% BOE down another 2.0%. Oil and gas flat.  In corporate news, SGR dimmed 16.5% on news that the Brisbane deal was off. RMD up 1.0% on better-than-expected quarterly. SOL and BKW reported with decent dividends and a step closer to a marriage. DOW unchanged despite a new contract and BGL fell 4.3% on production worse than expected. In economic news, local PPI rose 0.7%. NFP tonight from US. 147k is the number.European futures down 0.6%. US Futures Dow down 166 and Nasdaq down 100Want to invest with Marcus Today? The Managed Strategy Portfolio is designed for investors seeking exposure to our strategy while we do the hard work for you. If you’re looking for personal financial advice, our friends at Clime Investment Management can help. Their team of licensed advisers operates across most states, offering tailored financial planning services.  Why not sign up for a free trial? Gain access to expert insights, research, and analysis to become a better investor.