Updates to close
ASX 200 snaps 3-day winning streak
Fortescue slips 2.2% on nearly flat output growth
Santos end flat despite higher 2025 outlook
By Kumar Tanishk and Sneha Kumar
Jan 23 (Reuters) - Australian shares fell on Thursday, snapping a three-day winning streak, pressured by losses in miners and banks, while shares of Fortescue slipped after the miner posted a nearly flat quarterly output.
The S&P/ASX 200 benchmark index .AXJO fell 0.6% to 8,378.7 points. It rose 0.3% on Wednesday.
Fortescue FMG.AX, the world's fourth largest iron ore miner posted a nearly flat year-on-year production for the second quarter, only slightly higher than analysts' estimates. The stock closed 2.2% lower, with the mining sub-index .AXMM falling 1.7% to an over one-week low.
Iron ore prices were rangebound with top consumer China providing support measure to its equity markets while the threat of U.S. tariffs continued to loom. /IRONORE
There's a lot of speculation involved around the tariffs and nothing is certain, said Jessica Amir, a market strategist at trading platform Moomoo.
"The possibility of tariffs on China can't be ignored."
Banks .AXFJ were flat with three of the "Big Four" banks slipping between 0.1% and 0.3%.
Real estate stocks .AXRE dropped 0.9% after Wednesday's gains on the back of demand prospects for data centers after U.S. President Donald Trump's AI investment announcement.
Goodman Group GMG.AX, Australia's biggest listed property developer with exposure to data centres, shed 1.1% after hitting an over one-month high in the previous session.
"I'm not sure this is anything more than some profit taking after a solid start to the year," said Oscar Gee, equity research associate at CLSA Australia.
Energy stocks .AXEJ retreated 0.6%, with the country's No. 2 independent gas producer, Santos STO.AX ending flat despite forecasting higher output for 2025.
This comes a day after bigger rival Woodside WDS.AX said output for this year would be flat on a yearly basis. Shares closed 1.2% lower on Thursday, extending losses from the previous session.
Gold stocks .AXGD fell 0.8%, tracking softer bullion prices. GOL/
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.2% to 13,060.08 points.
(Reporting by Sneha Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Eileen Soreng)
((sneha.kumar@thomsonreuters.com))
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