-- Australian shares were flat with a positive bias on Wednesday's close as investors weighed reports of a second round of peace talks between the US and Iran.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index was little changed to close at 8,978.70.
US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran could resume in Pakistan over the next two days, even as a US naval blockade on Iranian ports continued. Brent crude oil futures rose 1% to $95.77 per barrel.
On Wall Street, the Nasdaq was up nearly 2% on Tuesday, and the S&P 500 climbed 1.2%.
On the domestic front, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its economic growth projections for Australia, with gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate now expected to come in at 2% in 2026, compared with the previous forecast of 2.1%, and 1.7% in 2027, down from the earlier forecast of 2.2%.
Australia's private sector credit is projected to grow by 7.2% year over year this year, tracking at its fastest pace since 2022, before slowing to 5.7% year-over-year by late 2027, ANZ said in a report.
Australian consumer spending rose 2.1% in March, month-on-month, driven by a sharp increase in fuel spending due to higher prices, according to NAB's consumer spend trend report.
In company news, Virgin Australia Holdings (ASX:VGN) said that its fiscal year 2026 financial guidance remains unchanged, with the underlying earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) and underlying EBIT margin in the second half expected to be higher than the prior-year period. Its shares were up 7% on market close.
Mesoblast (ASX:MSB) acquired an exclusive license to a patented chimeric antigen receptor technology platform to boost the effectiveness of its products. Its shares rose 7% at close.
Lastly, Yancoal Australia (ASX:YAL) said that it entered into binding transaction documentation with EMR Capital Advisors, Kestrel Coal (EMR), Adaro Capital, and EMR Capital Management to acquire Kestrel Coal Group, which holds an 80% interest in the Kestrel coal mine joint venture in Queensland, for up to $2.4 billion. Its shares closed down 2%.