ASX 200 stocks hitting fresh 52-week highs and lows – Week 36

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

• Materials: 8 Highs, 1 Low

• Health Care: 3 Highs, 0 Lows

• Energy: 3 Highs, 0 Lows

• Technology: 2 Highs, 0 Lows

• Staples: 2 Highs, 0 Lows

• Telecommunications: 1 High, 2 Low

• Industrials: 1 High, 1 Lows

• Financials: 0 Highs, 3 Lows

• Discretionary: 0 Highs, 1 Lows

• Utilities: 0 Highs, 0 Lows

• Real Estate: 0 Highs, 4 Lows

What Does the Data Tell Us?

• Big breadth explosion: The ASX 200 edged 0.37% higher last week and still sits 2% shy of all-time highs, yet 20 stocks hit a yearly high, a massive step up from the sporadic handful of the past couple of months. Resources drove the bulk of it, powered by a resurgence in gold and copper holding near record levels. We're seeing copper players like Sandfire Resources flexing its copper leverage with FY26 operational EBITDA up 57% to US$960 million and profit after tax up 294% to US$354 million. It also declared a 30 cent final dividend, its first payout since March 2022. Gold miners are printing cash too, and several announced surprise or maiden dividends. Capricorn Metals paid 10 cents across FY26 in its first year of payouts, while Alkane Resources delivered a 2 cent final, the first capital return in the company's history, alongside a $50 million buyback. Reporting season did the rest, with almost every ex-resources name on the list posting better-than-expected results. The 52-week low list told the same story, results driven with a few sector trends running through it. Banks flagged a sharp drop in mortgage applications, with Westpac's average monthly volumes down 11% on the quarter and its post-budget run rate down 20%, and NAB's home loan applications down 15% on 2Q26. Retail commentary was broadly soft and cautious.

• Data says watch the miners: The return of miners to the 52-week high list suggests the sector is worth keeping an eye on. The S&P/ASX 200 materials index has been trying to push through 26,000 since late February and only managed it last week. Though the aftermath of Jackson Hole will likely place downward pressure on equities and commodity prices. Fed Chair Warsh made price stability the priority in his first keynote as chair, saying summer inflation readings beat expectations but do not show underlying trends have meaningfully improved, and that the Fed still has "work to do". Markets now price one versus two 25 bp hikes by year end at close to 50-50, against consensus of just one before the speech. That pushed short-term yields and the US dollar higher, weighing on commodities, with gold down 3.2% and copper down 0.7% last Friday.

ASX 200 Materials stocks at 52-week highs

S&P/ASX 200 Materials constituents that hit a 52-week high last week, sorted by one-year returns. Data as at Friday, 27 August 2026.

ASX 200 stocks at 52-week highs

All other S&P/ASX 200 stocks and sectors that hit a 52-week high last week, sorted by one-year returns. Data as at Friday, 27 August 2026.

ASX 200 stocks at 52-week lows

S&P/ASX 200 stocks and sectors that hit a 52-week low last week, sorted by one-year returns. Data as at Friday, 27 August 2026.