Australian Shares Flat on Geo-Political Tensions; Pinnacle Investment Management Group Raises AU$400 Million

Australian Shares were flat on Thursday's close on concerns from Wall Street investors amid the escalating Russia-Ukraine Tensions.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index changed little to close at 8,323.20

US stocks fell after President Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for nuclear action and Ukraine fired US-made missiles into Russia, Reuters reported.

Asian stocks also fell after American technology company Nvidia posted subdued revenue forecasts, the report said.

On the domestic front, House prices continued to be less affordable for Australians in 2024, with buyers turning to apartments as their entry point to the property market, according to the ANZ CoreLogic Housing Affordability report.

In corporate news, Pinnacle Investment Management Group PNI raised AU$400 million via an institutional placement of 19.7 million ordinary shares at AU$20.30 apiece. Proceeds will be used to fund Pinnacle's strategic investments in VSS Capital and Pacific Asset Management, as well as support new strategies for existing affiliates and other growth initiatives. The company shares rose almost 3% at market close.

Mineral Resources MIN Non-Executive Chairman James McClements will step down to align with the company's new governance reforms amid allegations faced by Managing Director and Chief Executive Chris Ellison. Its shares fell 3% at close.

HMC Capital HMC launched an Australian Securities Exchange-listed Digital Infrastructure REIT DigiCo (ASX:DGT), with an enterprise value of AU$4.3 billion from data center assets in Australia and the US. HMC Capital's rose past 1% at market close and earlier hit an all-time high.