The S&P/ASX 200 was little changed around 8,470 in Wednesday morning trade, pausing after Tuesday’s 1.9% slide, as gains in mining stocks helped offset financial-sector losses. The mining sub-index advanced nearly 1%, supported by resilient iron prices amid strong demand from top metal consumer China. Heavyweight BHP and Lynas Rare Earths climbed 0.9% and 2.9%, respectively. Gold miners also soared 2.6%, while energy stocks added 0.7% on higher oil prices. Meanwhile, rate-sensitive financials hit their lowest in six months, with top lender Commonwealth Bank falling 0.8%. Risk appetite remained subdued as fading hopes for further RBA easing kept the main index on a downtrend following steady rates, strong jobs data, and persistently high inflation. Technology shares also dragged, reaching their lowest since mid-April, with accounting software maker Xero down 0.5%. The sector tracked Wall Street’s selloff amid renewed overvaluation concerns and doubts about the AI rally’s durability.