Weekly Wrap: Winning Streak Persists as Tech, Banks Drive Aussie Shares

Market Overview - The Australian share market finished up on Friday, with the ASX 200 increasing by 0.5%, or 42.90 points, to 8903.90, marking a weekly gain of 1.6% after five consecutive days of increases, the longest winning streak since May 2025 [1] Technology Sector - Technology stocks performed strongly, driven by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing's forecast of nearly 30% revenue growth in 2026, which exceeded analyst expectations and alleviated concerns regarding AI-related demand. Local tech stocks such as NextDC rose by 3.5% to $13 and Life360 by 1.7% to $29.23 [2] Banking Sector - Major banks contributed to the market rally, with Commonwealth Bank shares rising 0.5% to $154.30 and ANZ shares also up 0.5% to $37.52. National Australia Bank shares increased by 0.7% to $42.67, Westpac shares rose 1.8% to $39.19, and Macquarie shares were up 2.6% to $211.86 [3][2] Mining Sector - Shares in major miners experienced profit-taking after strong gains, with BHP shares falling 0.8% to $48.99 after a weekly rise of over 6%. This decline was influenced by a drop in oil prices following comments from US President Donald Trump regarding Iran [4] Energy Sector - Energy stocks also saw declines, with Woodside shares down 1.4% to $23.68 and Santos shares falling 1.6% to $6.23, reflecting the broader market reaction to falling oil prices [5] Company-Specific News - Capstone Copper shares surged 7.1% to $15.63 after meeting its annual copper guidance of 224,764 tonnes, a company record. Catalyst Metals shares climbed 14.7% to $9 following record quarterly production at Plutonic and positive broker reviews [6] - Conversely, Novonix shares dropped 15.8% to 42.5¢ after delaying the start of mass production of anode material for Panasonic Energy to the second half of 2027 [7] Upcoming Economic Data - The December labour force survey is expected to show an increase of about 35,000 jobs, maintaining the unemployment rate at 4.3% despite a projected rise in the participation rate [8] - In the US, the core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index is anticipated to rise by 2.8% year-over-year [9] - China is set to release various economic indicators, with the fourth-quarter GDP growth expected to be around 4.9%, aligning with the government's target of approximately 5% growth [10] - Australia will also see quarterly updates from several mining and energy companies, including BHP and Santos, while Wall Street will report fourth-quarter earnings from major firms like Netflix and Johnson & Johnson [11]