Market Close: Real estate sector tears on RBA hopes & data centres; new intraday XJO record, REE profits scalped

Market Overview - The XJO index remains up 10% year-to-date, despite fluctuations around the 9,000 points level, with a recent climb attributed to a strong performance in the real estate sector following weak jobs data [1] - Speculation of a potential RBA rate cut in November is influencing investor sentiment, although inflation concerns were also highlighted by the RBA [2] Sector Performance - The private data centre sector saw a significant $70 billion deal, contributing to positive market sentiment, particularly benefiting Goodman Group, which experienced a more than 3% increase [2] - Rare earth stocks saw a surge earlier in the week but experienced a pullback as traders took profits, indicating a volatile trading environment [3] Company Highlights - Meeka Metals reported higher-than-expected gold production for the September quarter and discovered gold in a new drilling area, leading to a rise in its stock price [4] - Bougainville Copper continued to gain momentum following a positive quarterly production update, with recent legal challenges potentially resolved [4] - FireFly Metals also saw gains due to favorable drilling results in its copper-gold project in Canada [5] Declining Stocks - American Rare Earths experienced a decline as the excitement from recent critical mineral news from China faded, prompting traders to cash in [5] - Iluka Resources faced a pullback, but the decline was less severe due to its ongoing production activities [6] - Dateline Resources also fell back, reflecting volatility linked to its previous mention by a high-profile figure [6]