Australian shares continue downward trend as S&P/ASX 200 closes lower; Bellevue Gold, DroneShield rise, ARB Corporation drops sharply, check top gainers, losers and top performing sectors

Australian shares continued their downturn on Tuesday (January 20, 2026), with the S&P/ASX 200 closing lower. The index fell 58.60 points, or 0.66%, to 8,815.90. According to the ASX website, the bottom-performing stocks in this index were ARB CORPORATION LIMITED and LYNAS RARE EARTHS LIMITED, down 12.04% and 6.33%, respectively.

Over the last five days, the broader index is virtually unchanged but is currently 3.28% below its 52-week high. It opened down 0.3% at 8,844.30 points in early trade. The stocks ended lower on Monday (January 19, 2026) as investors piled into safe-haven assets, fearing the extra tariff threat from US President Donald Trump.

The threats are linked to some European countries and will probably continue to loom until the United States is allowed to buy Greenland.

ASX 200: Top gainers and losers

On the S&P/ASX 200, Bellevue Gold Limited (BGL) led the top gainers, rising 8.5 cents, or 5.01%, to close at $1.780. DroneShield Limited (DRO) followed, up 19 cents, or 4.18%, to $4.740, while Xero Limited (XRO) advanced $3.38, or 3.35%, to finish at $104.270. Megaport Limited (MP1) gained 37 cents, or 3.09%, to $12.330, and HUB24 Limited (HUB) added $3.01, or 3.07%, to close at $101.210.

On the downside, ARB Corporation Limited (ARB) recorded the steepest fall, sliding $3.89, or 12.04%, to $28.420. Lynas Rare Earths Limited (LYC) declined $1.03, or 6.33%, to $15.250, while Perenti Limited (PRN) fell 19 cents, or 6.31%, to $2.820. Austal Limited (ASB) dropped 50 cents, or 5.85%, to $8.050, and Orora Limited (ORA) eased 12 cents, or 5.33%, to close at $2.130.

ASX 200: Top-performing sectors

Seven of the 11 sectors finished lower alongside the S&P/ASX 200 Index, according to the ASX website. Utilities was the best-performing sector, gaining 1.56% and posting a 2.05% rise over the past five days. Information Technology added 0.91%, while Telecommunications Services edged up 0.17%. On the downside, financials fell 1.08%, materials declined 1.07%, A-REITs slipped 0.54%, industrials eased 0.38%, energy dropped 0.30%, consumer discretionary lost 0.28% and consumer staples edged lower by 0.19%.