Australia’s sharemarket begins week on a high: S&P/ASX 200 closes up 0.48%; check top gainers and losers and which were the best-performing sectors

Australian shares began the week on a high as the S&P/ASX 200 closed up on Monday (January 12, 2026), gaining 41.60 points, or 0.48%, to 8,759.40. The top-performing stocks in this index were LIGHT & WONDER INC. and CATAPULT SPORTS LTD, up 17.97% and 6.52%, respectively. Over the last five days, the index has gained 0.35% and is currently 3.90% off of its 52-week high, according to the ASX website.

The sharemarket opened up on a positive note this week, tracking an upbeat Wall ‍Street session and buoyed by higher oil prices, with gains led by ⁠financials, consumer discretionary and energy stocks.

The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.8% to 8,785.90 points by 2355 GMT. The benchmark ended unchanged on Friday and fell 0.1% ‌last week. Financials advanced 1.2% in Australia, according to news agency Reuters. The sector fell 2.5% last week on mounting worries that potential rate hikes could deter new mortgage buyers, and as competition for market share intensifies.

ASX 200: Top gainers and losers

The S&P/ASX 200 recorded notable movements, with several stocks posting strong gains. Light & Wonder Inc. (LNW) led the top performers, closing at $182.500, up $27.800, representing a gain of 17.970%. Catapult Sports Ltd (CAT) also advanced, ending the session at $4.410 after rising $0.270, a gain of 6.521%.

Further strength was seen in Ramelius Resources Limited (RMS), which finished at $4.390, up $0.260 or 6.295%. Newmont Corporation (NEM) closed higher at $166.590, adding $9.190, an increase of 5.838%. Pantoro Gold Limited (PNR) rounded out the top five gainers, ending the day at $5.250, up $0.260 or 5.210%.

On the downside, the index saw several stocks record declines. Mesoblast Limited (MSB) was among the weakest performers, closing at $2.850 after falling $0.220, a decline of 7.167%. Super Retail Group Limited (SUL) ended the session at $14.890, down $0.830 or 5.280%.

Additional losses were recorded by DroneShield Limited (DRO), which slipped $0.170 to close at $3.850, a fall of 4.229%. Insurance Australia Group Limited (IAG) finished at $7.730, down $0.290 or 3.616%, while BHP Group Limited (BHP) closed lower at $46.510, declining $1.210, representing a drop of 2.536%.

Which sectors gained

According to the ASX website, 9 of 11 sectors ended higher along with the S&P/ASX 200 Index. Consumer Discretionary was the best-performing sector, gaining +2.12% and +3.01% for the past five days.

The "big four" banks ‌climbed between ‍0.9% and 1.7%, while financial conglomerate Macquarie rose ‍1.1%. Energy stocks gained 1.2%, tracking higher oil prices after ‌intensifying protests in Iran and escalating attacks in Russia's war in Ukraine spurred supply disruption concerns. Woodside added 1.2%, and Santos rose 1%. Consumer discretionary stocks climbed 2%, posting their biggest intraday gain in more than four months.

Miners slipped

Meanwhile, miners slipped 0.1%, weighed down by a 1% decline in BHP, after ‍rising iron ore inventories at Chinese ports pushed down prices of the steelmaking ingredient on Friday.