The ASX 200 slipped 71 points, or 0.8%, to finish at 8,968 on Thursday, halting a three-day rally and retreating from a near five-month high. Profit-taking followed Wall Street’s plunge on Wednesday, as traders weighed the U.S. Fed’s decision to hold interest rates steady, with three officials favoring a 25bps hike. Geopolitical tensions added pressure after Iran’s surprise strikes on U.S. bases in Jordan. At home, the Reserve Bank of Australia Assistant Governor Sarah Hunter noted headline inflation is easing, though housing and services costs remain sticky. Losses were widespread, led by tech, logistics, retail, and non-energy minerals. Softer iron ore and copper prices dragged BHP Group (-1.4%) and Fortescue (-0.9%). Gold miners tumbled, with steep losses in Northern Star Resources (-3.5%) and Evolution Mining (-2.8%). Two of the big four banks slipped between 0.5% and 0.8%. Bucking the trend, Domino Pizza surged 8.6% after reaffirming its annual profit outlook despite write-downs.