BHP and CSL Anchor the Biggest Earnings Day of August as Consumer Sentiment Refreshes. | It s On Sale Daily Brief, 18 August 2026

Neil Fairhead

CEO, It’s On Sale

Tuesday morning is the peak of ASX FY26 reporting season: BHP hands down full year before the bell with consensus underlying earnings around 32 dollar 4 billion and a final dividend around 1 dollar 56, CSL follows at 10 o clock, and Cochlear, Pro Medicus, Challenger, HUB24, Sims and Reliance Worldwide all report today. Westpac refreshes its August Consumer Sentiment index at 10:30 with the forecast a soft 81.7, and Commonwealth Bank goes ex dividend on its 2 dollar 70 final tomorrow, meaning today is the last day to buy in for the payout. Myer’s spring floor sets keep rolling. Amazon remains in Federal Court on two matters. Today’s Top 5 opens with Princess Polly at up to 80 per cent off, then Baku Swimwear, Graham s Jewellers, Telstra and General Pants Co.

Reporting Season Peak: BHP, CSL and the Health Care Nine

Tuesday 18 August 2026 is the biggest earnings day of the ASX August calendar. BHP Group reports full year FY26 before the market opens, and consensus figures compiled by Motley Fool Australia’s Tuesday preview put underlying EBITDA around 32 dollar 4 billion US, underlying NPAT around 10 dollar 8 billion US, and the final dividend around 1 dollar 56 Australian (fully franked). BHP’s July operational review already confirmed record iron ore production and its second consecutive year above 2 million tonnes of copper, so the swing factor today is how much cost inflation and China steel demand feed through into the FY27 outlook. Full guidance and payout details are in BHP s investor hub.

CSL follows at 10 o clock AEST with a briefing streamed from Melbourne. FY26 guidance set in February pointed to revenue around 15 dollar 2 billion US and NPATA around 3 dollar 1 billion, and the swing factor is Behring plasma margin recovery: analyst commentary through the run up has flagged Behring albumin and immunoglobulin pricing as the key line to watch. Cochlear reports at midday, Pro Medicus at 11, and Challenger, HUB24, Sims and Reliance Worldwide all release results today. For Australian shoppers, this cluster matters because superannuation balances shift on today s prints, and any large downgrade cluster tends to feed through into retailer promotion depth over the next three weeks as consumer confidence adjusts.

Westpac Consumer Sentiment: 10:30 AEST Release

The Westpac Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment Index for August lands today at 10:30am AEST. July printed at 83.9 (up 4.1 per cent month on month from June s 80.6), and the Trading Economics consensus is 81.7 for August, which would flag a modest pullback rather than a continued recovery. Any print below 82 keeps consumer sentiment in weak territory (below the neutral 100 line by more than 18 points), and any print above 85 would be the strongest reading since March 2022. The Westpac Red Book August 2026 is the same day companion piece and typically drops around 11am.

For shoppers, a soft sentiment print reinforces the cost of living squeeze narrative and validates why smart shoppers now hunt sale sections rather than shop full price. Retailers watching a soft print tend to hold discount depth through the spring reset rather than pulling promotions early: expect the current 40 to 80 per cent clearance across Princess Polly, Baku, Graham s, Telstra and General Pants to continue into next week rather than reset back to full price. A stronger than expected print would push retailers to reset floor pricing earlier and shrink the discount window, so today s number matters for anyone planning a mid week purchase.

CBA Ex Dividend Tomorrow: Last Day to Buy Today

Commonwealth Bank of Australia goes ex dividend on its FY26 final dividend of 2 dollar 70 per share (fully franked) tomorrow Wednesday 19 August 2026. Under the ASX T plus 2 settlement rule, today Tuesday is the last day investors can buy CBA shares and be on the register for the final dividend payment on 29 September. FY26 total dividends were 5 dollar 05 per share, up 4 per cent on FY25 s 4 dollar 85, and current market cap sits above 200 billion dollars. Ex dividend day typically sees the CBA share price open lower by approximately the dividend amount (2 dollar 70) all else equal, so today is also the last day for anyone considering a dividend capture trade before the reset.

For everyday shoppers not chasing dividends, CBA ex div matters because Wednesday will see the ASX 200 open lower by the CBA reset alone (roughly 15 index points on a 8000 level), and any big earnings misses today from BHP or CSL that push the miners or health care sector wider will amplify that Wednesday move. If you were planning to lock in a term deposit or transfer funds this week, the mid week Wednesday to Thursday window is when banking apps historically see the highest customer service call volumes because of ex div queries, so plan bill payments and transfers for today or Friday.

Amazon Back In Court: Two Live Federal Matters

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has two live Federal Court proceedings against Amazon that will bear on Australian Prime subscribers and marketplace shoppers through 2026 and 2027. The first, filed in June 2026, alleges Amazon Australia included five unfair contract terms in Prime subscription contracts with more than one million annual subscribers between November 2023 and August 2025, and relied on those terms to introduce advertising to Prime Video in July 2024, requiring subscribers to pay an additional 2 dollars 99 per month to remain ad free. The case is tracked by the Australian Financial Review, with maximum penalty per contravention the highest of 50 million dollars, three times the benefit obtained, or 30 per cent of adjusted turnover during the breach period. Case management and interlocutory hearing was set for 7 August 2026.

The second proceeding, filed 29 May 2026 as NSD905 of 2026 in the Federal Court New South Wales Registry, is the first time the ACCC has taken an online marketplace to Federal Court over a mandatory product safety standard. The ACCC concise statement alleges 41 non compliant Unicorn Toddler Backpacks (containing detachable button battery light up unicorn toys without mandatory warning labels) were sold through amazon.com.au and 267 were held in Amazon s Australian fulfilment centres as of 1 November 2022. The ACCC argues that under section 136 subsection 3 of the Australian Consumer Law, mere possession or control of non compliant goods (the receiving, storing, picking, packing and shipping Amazon does for third party sellers under Fulfilment by Amazon) is enough to put the marketplace itself on the hook. If successful, this reshapes marketplace safety liability for every Fulfilment by Amazon third party seller in Australia.

Week Ahead: July Jobs Thursday, Coles Tuesday 25, Woolies Wednesday 26

Wednesday 19 August delivers CBA ex dividend plus results from Iluka, Healius, Mirvac and Wesfarmers, plus the ABS Wage Price Index at 11:30am. Thursday 20 August at 11:30am AEST is the ABS July Labour Force Survey, and Westpac IQ s July preview is expecting unemployment steady at 4.4 per cent, employment plus 15 thousand and participation lifting to 66.9 per cent. Any soft print (unemployment above 4.5 per cent, or employment print below plus 5 thousand) would sharpen expectations of a September Reserve Bank cut, which flows directly to household mortgage headroom and discretionary retail spending.

Next week is peak grocery reporting: Coles Group hands down FY26 on Tuesday 25 August (media call 9:15am) with the IG earnings preview tracking consensus around 45 dollar 63 billion in sales, EBIT around 2 dollar 30 billion and final dividend per share around 43 cents (FY26 total DPS around 77 cents). Woolworths Group follows Wednesday 26 August, and the Woolworths investor page is the source. For shoppers, back to back grocery reports next Tuesday and Wednesday matter because both retailers use their FY presentation to signal price investment for the following six months. Any commentary flagging additional price investment tends to translate into more Everyday Rewards and Flybuys targeted offers through September and October.

ARC Data Backdrop: June Retail Held at 4.7 Per Cent

The Australian Retail Council s June 2026 analysis shows household retail spending at 39.68 billion dollars in June, up 4.7 per cent year on year but easing from May s 5.8 per cent as End of Financial Year sales delivered less real growth than the discount depth suggested. By category, cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services grew fastest at 7.1 per cent, household goods retailing lifted 6.3 per cent, clothing plus 3.9 per cent, and department stores and large online retailers were essentially flat at minus 0.1 per cent. The state numbers confirmed the resource state resilience: Northern Territory plus 8.8 per cent, Western Australia plus 7.5 per cent, Australian Capital Territory plus 3.1 per cent, New South Wales plus 3.2 per cent. For shoppers, the takeaway is that department store softness feeds through into deeper end of winter clearance today: this is why floor set changeover discounts this week are notably wider than in a typical August.