Next Week At A Glance – 20-25 Jul 2026

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            [3] => ((BHP))
            [4] => ((RIO))
            [5] => ((INA))
            [6] => ((PPC))
            [7] => ((MYX))
            [8] => ((SXL))
            [9] => ((NXT))
            [10] => ((MQG))
            [11] => ((RRL))
            [12] => ((VAU))
            [13] => ((GMD))
            [14] => ((OML))
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            [21] => ((ORA))
            [22] => ((PPT))
            [23] => ((SXL))
            [24] => ((VUL))
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            [23] => SXL
            [24] => VUL
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            [26] => COL
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This story features WESFARMERS LIMITED, and other companies.
For more info SHARE ANALYSIS: WES
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:

-July is, thus far, not living up to its historical tradition of being a strong month for equities. The ASX200 continues to grind, remaining broadly flat to slightly weaker over the second week of the month.

-At the sector level, trading continues to rotate between sectors. Energy was the standout performer as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz intensified, with both the US and Iran seeking to exert control over this globally important shipping route. Geopolitical tensions across energy markets are, for now, here to stay.

-Despite more cautious commentary from analysts on the outlook for the sector, the Consumer Discretionary sector was the standout this week, rising around 2.6% for a one-month gain of approximately 6%. Index heavyweight Wesfarmers ((WES)) is creeping towards its 52-week share price high.

-Woolworths Group ((WOW)) and Coles Group ((COL)) were in focus, with Woolworths downgraded on valuation concerns and Coles walking away from the Greencross deal. Shareholders made their concerns clear and were rewarded by management’s decision.

-Materials weighed on the index, falling nearly -2.5%. BHP Group’s ((BHP)) quarterly update failed to impress, while Rio Tinto’s ((RIO)) numbers proved broadly in line with expectations.

-Next week, a swathe of quarterly updates will hit the market through to the end of July. On the macro front, June unemployment data, due at 11:30am AEST on Thursday, will be closely watched for clues on the state of the economy following the Budget and three cash rate hikes.

-Overseas, US markets followed a similarly grinding pattern. The major banks delivered strong results, while ASML and TSMC, despite beating earnings expectations, failed to keep chip sector momentum alive. Investors instead sold memory and semiconductor stocks, rotating into a broader range of sectors. Apple is trading at all-time highs, while IBM suffered its worst single-day share price fall following a disappointing earnings pre-announcement.

-Lower-than-expected June CPI and PPI readings in the US saw market pricing for a Federal Reserve rate hike at the end of July ease to just 3bp. Markets are now pricing in 28bp of tightening by year-end, down from 44bp earlier in the week.

Wishing everyone a great weekend from the team at FNArena.

For a calendar of earnings result releases and a summary of earnings results to date, refer to FNArena’s Corporate Results Monitor (https://www.fnarena.com/index.php/reporting_season/)

Corporate news in the week that was:

• Ingenia Communities Group ((INA)) confirms preliminary takeover discussions with Peet Ltd ((PPC))
• Mayne Pharma Group ((MYX)) investors call for a company break-up after failed takeover proposal
• Gull New Zealand and NPD merge to create a NZ$1bn fuel retail group
• Southern Cross Media Group ((SXL)) exits View Media Group, selling its minority stake for $1 and writing off its investment
• NextDC ((NXT)) secures an additional $500m in debt facilities to fund data centre roll-out
• Jarden plans a capital raising to increase employee ownership to 70%
• Macquarie Group ((MQG)) reopens 17 private credit funds following a review
• Regis Resources ((RRL)) has withdrawn its takeover bid for Vault Minerals ((VAU)) after a superior proposal from Genesis Minerals ((GMD)) 
•  oOh!media ((OML)) remains the subject of competing bids from Pacific Equity Partners, I Squared Capital and Oaktree Capital, with due diligence and negotiations continuing
• Stack Infrastructure is exploring a sale of its Asia-Pacific data centre business in a deal that could be valued at more than US$25bn
• Steadfast Group ((SDF)) is the target of a $6.7bn consortium bid, with KKR joining the acquisition group
• Blackstone has launched a $1bn sale process for Australian clinical trials group Nucleus Network
• Mondelez is assessing a potential acquisition of Arnott’s from KKR
• Ampol ((ALD)) has refinanced $400m of debt through a private credit facility provided by KKR
• Ceretas is seeking to raise $8m through an ASX IPO to fund clinical trials
• Allegro Funds has raised $550m for its fifth private equity fund, targeting technology investments across Australia and New Zealand
• Genesis Minerals ((GMD)) will acquire Vault Minerals ((VAU)) in a $5.6bn gold “merger”
• Amwins and Dragoneer have confirmed KKR has joined their consortium bid for Steadfast Group ((SDF))
• Genesis Capital is exploring a bid for Mayne Pharma Group’s ((MYX)) Salisbury manufacturing plant following the collapse of Cosette’s takeover proposal
• Private equity firms are assessing a potential buyout of Orora ((ORA)) 
• TPG Capital has acquired Australian energy retailer Zembl for more than $250m following a strong year of private equity exits
• Perpetual Limited ((PPT)) received a sweetened $2.55bn takeover offer from Swedish private equity group EQT AB
• Southern Cross Media Group ((SXL)) sold its venture asset portfolio to LVP Capital
• Perth Radiological Clinic is attracting private equity bids in a potential $1bn healthcare transaction
• Jarden is reportedly the subject of a potential acquisition approach by a European investment bank
• Vulcan Energy Resources Limited ((VUL)) drew its first funding from the EUR2.2bn Lionheart financing facility
• L1 Capital’s ((L1G)) funds under management increased after its Gold Fund IPO attracted $428m of inflows
• Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) provided more than US$400m in private credit financing for Allegro Funds’ acquisition of Gull New Zealand and NPD
• Future Fund-backed consortium leads the race to acquire Ausgrid’s smart metering business in a deal valued at around $3bn
• Liberty Bell Bay will shut after its proposed acquisition collapsed, leaving the Tasmanian manganese smelter’s future uncertain
• Acorn Capital has exited Dredge Robotics, selling its stake to Perth-based family office Verona Capital
• Coles Group ((COL)) is challenging the ACCC’s decision to block its proposed acquisition of a supermarket development site in Kalgoorlie
• Sports Entertainment Group ((SEG)) is exploring a potential acquisition of ARN Media ((A1N)) as radio sector consolidation gathers pace

For a calendar of earnings result releases and a summary of earnings results to date, refer to FNArena’s Corporate Results Monitor (https://www.fnarena.com/index.php/reporting_season/)

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