ASX 200 stocks hitting fresh 52-week highs and lows – Week 33
The ASX 200 is at record highs on breadth, not big names, while softening Chinese demand drags iron ore lower.
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Welcome back to the 52-Week Series, where we recap the S&P/ASX 200 stocks that have hit fresh yearly highs and lows over the past week. Tracking this data point helps identify emerging trends across various stocks and sectors.
When clusters of stocks within a sector reach new highs or lows, it often points to meaningful underlying drivers such as shifting commodity prices, changing demand patterns (such as AI, pivots into defensive sectors, consumer weakness etc), or companies beating/missing earnings expectations.
52-Week highs and lows by sector
Financials: 3 High, 0 Low
Materials: 2 High, 3 Low
Industrials: 1 High, 0 Low
Health Care: 1 High, 0 Low
Energy: 0 High, 1 Low
Discretionary: 0 High, 0 Low
Utilities: 0 High, 0 Low
Technology: 0 High, 0 Low
Staples: 0 High, 0 Low
Real Estate: 0 High, 0 Low
Telecommunications: 0 High, 0 Low
What Does the Data Tell Us?
What's driving the market: The S&P/ASX 200 notched two record highs last week, but the 52-week high list remains thin and short on big names, with heavyweights BHP and CBA both around 3% below all-time highs. What's carrying the index is breadth. Every sector is higher over the past month, led by Materials (+12.4%), Tech (+7.0%) and Energy (+6.5%), while Utilities (+0.1%), Staples (+1.2%) and Discretionary (+2.0%) lag. Once-battered sectors like healthcare and staples have staged V-shaped bounces, and the two that matter most, materials and financials, are trading within arm's reach of record territory.
Iron ore flops: Two iron ore names hit 52-week lows as prices traded as low as US$92.85 a tonne last week, the lowest since late June 2025 and a third straight monthly loss. Chinese demand is softening and steel mill margins are narrowing, with Chinese output down for a fourth week and construction activity recording its weakest since the start of the pandemic, according to Bloomberg. The absence of fresh stimulus has added to the pressure, alongside July factory activity contracting for the first time in five months.
ASX 200 stocks at 52-week highs
Ticker | Company | Close | Sector | 1 Week | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
South32 | $4.96 | Materials | 8.5% | 62.6% | |
Bluescope Steel | $35.23 | Materials | 7.7% | 47.8% | |
AMP | $2.42 | Financials | 12.6% | 41.5% | |
Viva Energy Group | $2.65 | Energy | -7.0% | 29.9% | |
Macquarie Group | $264.45 | Financials | 4.5% | 23.5% | |
Washington H. Soul Pattinson | $46.74 | Financials | 1.1% | 10.1% | |
Medibank Private | $5.28 | Financials | 2.1% | 4.1% | |
Fisher & Paykel | $34.94 | Health Care | 2.7% | 4.0% | |
Computershare | $42.92 | Industrials | 4.8% | 3.9% |
S&P/ASX 200 stocks and sectors that hit a 52-week high in the past week, sorted by one-year returns. Data as at Friday, 7 August 2026.
ASX 200 stocks at 52-week lows
S&P/ASX 200 stocks and sectors that hit a 52-week high in the past week, sorted by one-year returns. Data as at Friday, 7 August 2026.
