Next Week At A Glance – 19-23 Jan 2026

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This story features RIO TINTO LIMITED.
For more info SHARE ANALYSIS: RIO
The company is included in ASX20, ASX50, ASX100, ASX200, ASX300 and ALL-ORDS

A brief look at important company events and economic data releases next week.

For a more comprehensive preview of next week’s events, please refer to “The Monday Report”, published each Monday morning.

For all economic data release dates, ex-div dates and times and other relevant information, please refer to the FNArena Calendar.

The week that was in Australian finance:

-2026 has started with a bang, yes markets are up, but those of you snoozing under a cabana on the beach or traversing from Zermatt to Cervinia may have missed the frantic pace of announcements coming from the US President and Administration.

-From calls to remove Federal Reserve Chairman Powell to rhetoric around possible military action against Iran, investors have seemingly turned off the noise button and proceeded with business as usual. This year has started with the ongoing pursuit of precious metals and hard asset commodities.

-The ASX200 is up 1.8% over the last five days and stands some -2.5% below the 52-week high, led again by materials, up almost 4%, and an impressive 36.5% over the year past.

-A mega US$300bn mining merger between Rio Tinto ((RIO)) and Glencore is being discussed, while investors could not get enough of gold and silver this week, both reaching new all-time highs, with uranium stocks also continuing to rally.

-Energy stocks managed to move higher despite the shifting sands of Iranian geopolitics, with the sector up almost 2%, while consumer discretionary stocks received a leg up on stronger than expected domestic household spending for November, up 1% m/m and 6.4% y/y, boosted by Black Friday sales.

-Financials and industrials both rose circa 1%, while info tech continued to slip, down -1.6%, and utilities fell -2.8%. Australian tech stocks cannot catch a break, even though global chip stocks are rallying on major silicon shortages and TSMC shot the lights out again in its last earnings report, citing ongoing demand visibility for another five years.

-Next week the Australian unemployment rate is due out on January 22, another potential indicator for markets on the RBA rate-setting course for the upcoming February meeting.

-In the US, Oct/Nov PCE is due out on Thursday (US time). The tussle between Fed board members and President Trump over US interest rates is unlikely to abate any time soon.

-Currently the market is pricing in 6bp of rate hikes from the RBA in February, 26bp by August, and 34bp by the end of 2026.

-Food for thought in the year ahead, from Liz Ann Sonders, Charles Schwab, “The discipline investors need is about managing exposure, maintaining diversification and resisting the urge to react to every shift in narrative or data.”

The team at FNArena wishes everyone a great weekend.

Corporate news in the week that was:

-Advent Partners is merging its radiology business with rival Radiology SA in a $700m deal.

-Monadelphous ((MND)) has secured a $300m, five-year maintenance deal with Rio Tinto ((RIO)).

-Endeavour Group ((EDV)) is considering the sale of its vineyard and wine making business.

-BlueScope Steel ((BSL)) announced a $1 per share special dividend.

-Macquarie Group ((MQG)) is looking at exit options for Bingo Industries.

-Nine Entertainment ((NEC)) is apparently considering the Quadrant sale of QMS Media.

-4DMedical ((4DX)) has raised $150m to accelerate US growth

-Hanes places Australian brands Bonds, Bras N Things, Sheridan and Berlei up for sale

-Rio Tinto ((RIO)) and Glencore consider ASX spin-off for coal assets as part of the potential US$300bn merger deal

-Myer ((MYR)) is shuttering Sass & Bide including stores as it works through a reinvention strategy

-Waymo is looking at an Australian launch amidst talks with a Chinese carmaker as part of the global robotaxi expansion

-Amazon Web Services is looking to source copper for US data centres from Rio Tinto’s Nutons bioleaching technology from an Arizona mine

-Gas reservation scheme delays southeast LNG imports by at least six months

-TPG private equity is supporting Kinetic as one of the last bidders for Dysons

Next week’s Corporate Calendar

For a calendar of upcoming events, see FNArena’s Corporate Calendar:

https://fnarena.com/index.php/financial-news/calendar/

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