The S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.5% to finish at 8,734 on Thursday, paring earlier gains, as losses in copper miners offset gains in major banks. Heavyweight miners came under pressure after Chile’s state copper commission cut its 2025 production growth forecast to 1.5% from 3% on output declines at major mines, warning of supply risks despite steady price projections. BHP, the world’s largest listed miner, fell 0.5%, while Rio Tinto and Fortescue dropped 3.7% and 1.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, the country’s third largest lender Westpac jumped 6.3% to a decade-high after posting a 5% rise in third-quarter profit and a higher net interest margin, lifting financials 1.3%. ANZ and NAB also gained nearly 2% each ahead of their quarterly results on Friday, while CBA were down 1.1% on valuation concerns despite record results. In economic news, Australia added 24.5K jobs in July, up from a revised 1K in June and just below the 25K forecast, while the jobless rate eased as expected to 4.2% from 4.3%.