The S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.5% to close at 8,683 on Tuesday, as investors remained cautious ahead of Wednesday’s November CPI release. Inflation is expected to ease slightly to 3.7% from 3.8% in October. However, a recent survey of leading economists reported by the Australian Financial Review suggests the RBA may not be finished tightening this cycle, as the poll indicates inflation is likely to remain stubbornly elevated over the coming year, prompting expectations of at least two additional rate hikes. Financial stocks slid 1.8% to a near three-week low, with CBA sinking nearly 3%, Westpac declining 2.2%, NAB falling 2.4%, and ANZ Group Holdings down almost 2%. In contrast, BlueScope Steel surged 20.8% to a more than seventeen-year high after confirming it had received a $30.00-per-share takeover offer from a consortium led by SGH Ltd and US-based Steel Dynamics. Moreover, mining giants BHP Group rose 1.6% and Rio Tinto advanced 1.8% amid record-high copper prices.