S&P/ASX 200 kicks off new week with gains as tech and health stocks boost Australian shares; check top gainers-losers and best performing sectors

Australian Sharemarket: The S&P/ASX 200 began the week on a positive note as Australian shares edged up with modest gains on Monday (February 16, 2026). Gains in technology, gold and healthcare stocks countered weakness in miners and financials, with the half-year earnings season swinging into full gear.

The S&P/ASX 200 closed up Monday, gaining 19.50 points or 0.22% to 8,937.10, after last week's 2.4% rally that marked its strongest weekly performance in ten months. According to the ASX website, the top-performing stocks in the benchmark were AUSTAL LIMITED and WISETECH GLOBAL LIMITED, up 19.51% and 12.88%, respectively.

S&P/ASX 200: Top gainers and losers

The S&P/ASX 200 Top 5 gains were led by ASB, with Austal Limited closing at 5.820, up 0.950, a rise of 19.507%. WTC, WiseTech Global Limited, finished at 48.110, gaining 5.490, or 12.881%. SEK, Seek Limited, ended the session at 17.100, up 1.260, marking a 7.954% increase. XRO, Xero Limited, rose 5.570 to 79.060, a gain of 7.579%. JBH, JB Hi-Fi Limited, closed at 82.400, climbing 5.720, or 7.459%.

On the downside, the S&P/ASX 200 Top 5 declines were headed by TWE, with Treasury Wine Estates Limited finishing at 4.970, down 0.270, a fall of 5.153%. FMG, Fortescue Ltd, slipped 1.000 to 20.210, declining 4.715%. RIO, Rio Tinto Limited, dropped 6.990 to 162.750, a decrease of 4.119%. ANZ, ANZ Group Holdings Limited, fell 1.260 to 39.630, down 3.082%. IFT, Infratil Limited, ended at 9.310, losing 0.270, or 2.819%.

Top-performing sectors

8 of 11 sectors ended higher along with the S&P/ASX 200 Index, according to the ASX website. Information Technology was the best-performing sector, gaining +5.65% and rebounding from its recent decline. This sector is off -3.23% for the past five days.

Technology stocks rose 5.7% to post their strongest session in over 10 months. Tech majors Wisetech, Xero and Technology One led the gains on the subindex, rising between 5.6% and 12.9%.

Healthcare stocks rebounded 1.1% for their strongest session in nearly three weeks, as heavyweights CSL and Cochlear rose 1.4% and 0.6%, respectively, recovering from last week's earnings-driven sell-off.

Gold stocks added 1%. Consumer stocks ‌rose 1.6%, helped by a 7.5% jump in JB Hi-Fi following upbeat half-year results. Treasury Wine Estates slipped 5.2% after cutting its interim dividend on continued demand weakness.

Limiting gains ⁠on the benchmark, miners fell 1%, with BHP and Rio Tinto down 1.5% and 4.1%, respectively. The mining giants will report their half-year results on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Banks lost 0.1%. Top lender CBA rose 1.2%, while National Australia Bank, due to report quarterly results on Wednesday, slipped 1%.