At 2:30pm AEST, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was up 0.1% at 8,687.5 points as investors awaited today’s interest rate decision.

Then the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) released that rate decision, and the ASX 200 promptly dropped 0.2% to 8,668.3 points.

With concerns over persistently high inflation rising, market expectations of an RBA interest rate increase had jumped to 92% prior to today’s announcement, according to the ASX’s RBA rate tracker.

And the market’s expectations proved to be spot on.

At its meeting today, the RBA board decided to increase the cash rate target by 0.25% to the new 4.60%.

This marks the fourth interest rate hike by Australia’s central bank this year. And it sees Australia’s official cash rate at the highest levels since October 2011.

When Aussies turned over the calendar onto 2026, the rate stood at 3.60%. And most analysts were forecasting rate cuts ahead.

Here’s why that’s not happening.

ASX 200 wobbles as RBA boosts interest rates again

Commenting on today’s decision, the RBA noted, “Inflation remains elevated and some of the upside risks flagged in August are materialising.”

And ASX 200 investors look to have both the fallout from the Iran war and the ongoing AI boom to thank for today’s interest rate boost.

According to the RBA:

The conflict in the Middle East has broadened and global energy prices are now much higher than had been assumed in the August forecasts. AI-related demand is driving rapid growth in global prices for technology-related goods.

As far as the domestic economy is going, the central bank cited “heightened” uncertainties about the outlook for Australia’s economic activity and inflation.

The RBA noted:

There are signs that growth in consumer spending is easing gradually as expected, although housing prices have fallen in most capital cities and new housing loans have declined noticeably. Labour market conditions have eased broadly as expected in recent months, and labour market leading indicators are broadly stable. Meanwhile, growth in business investment and debt is strong.

The board’s decision to lift interest rates today was unanimous.

What are the experts saying?

Commenting on today’s RBA interest rate decision that’s pressuring the ASX 200, Ronak Bhimjiani, real estate economist at JLL Australia, said, “While largely anticipated by markets, the move reflects a Board increasingly focused on persistent underlying inflation and stronger-than-expected economic growth.”

Bhimjiani added:

For real assets, higher borrowing costs will continue to sharpen investor discipline, with pricing and underwriting assumptions likely to remain conservative in the near term.

However, income resilience remains a defining theme. With inflation still tracking above the RBA’s target band, rental growth continues to provide a natural buffer, helping preserve real returns and supporting the appeal of well-leased assets relative to other investment classes.

The post ASX 200 slips as RBA boosts interest rates to 15-year highs appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 holds steady as investors brace for a big afternoon
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• ASX 200 rallies from June lows. Is the worst over?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Dateline Resources Ltd (ASX: DTR) shares are rocketing higher again on Tuesday.

The Dateline share price is currently up 34.41% to 12.5 cents after climbing as high as 14 cents earlier in the session.

That follows Monday’s enormous 47.62% gain, when the gold and rare earths explorer jumped from 6.3 cents to 9.3 cents.

It’s been quite a turnaround after the stock traded near its 52-week low earlier this month.

In fact, anyone who invested $5,000 in Dateline shares just one week ago would already be sitting on a pretty impressive profit.

So, how much would that investment be worth today?

What would $5,000 be worth today?

Dateline shares finished last Tuesday 22 September at just 6.5 cents.

At that price, a $5,000 investment would have bought approximately 76,923 shares, excluding brokerage costs.

Fast forward one week and those shares are currently changing hands for 12.5 cents each.

That means the original $5,000 investment would now be worth approximately $9,615.

That’s a profit of around $4,615 in just one week, representing a return of roughly 92%.

And it could have been considerably more for anyone who managed to sell near today’s high.

At today’s intraday high, those shares would have been worth approximately $10,769.

That’s more than double the original investment in the space of a week.

So, what’s behind the incredible run?

Why are Dateline shares taking off?

The rally really picked up on Monday after Dateline provided another update on its Colosseum Gold and Rare Earths Project in California.

The Department of Justice has stepped in, asking the court to suspend the injunction that has stopped work at Colosseum.

The injunction has been in place since 10 August following legal action from environmental group, National Parks Conservation Association.

The US Government wants Dateline to be able to get back to work while the appeal continues.

It argues that keeping the project on hold is hurting US national security interests, particularly given Colosseum’s rare earth potential.

Where to from here?

After nearly doubling in a week, Dateline shares have certainly caught the market’s interest.

But there’s still a big hurdle ahead.

The court is scheduled to hear the applications to suspend the injunction on 26 October.

If successful, Dateline could get back to work at Colosseum while the appeal continues.

Until then, I’d expect plenty more movement in the Dateline share price as investors weigh up what could happen next.

The post Invested $5,000 in Dateline shares a week ago? Here’s how much you’d have now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Guess which ASX stock is rocketing 46% today

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

As we approach the final few days of September, all eyes are on which shares could drive the share market higher next month.

Here’s the latest out of Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG), Westpac Banking Corporation Ltd (ASX: WBC), and CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) shares, and what brokers expect for each of the stocks next.

Brokers rate CSL shares as a BUY

CSL shares rebounded strongly through August, and have continued climbing higher in September. Over the past month, the ASX biotech stock has climbed around 6% higher, and it’s now also up 6% for the year-to-date, having regained earlier losses shed in the first quarter of 2026. At the time of writing the shares are trading at $182.85.

The shares rebounded off the back of a strong FY26 result in August, when the company posted a total revenue and NPAT which came in way ahead of guidance. Management described FY26 as a ‘reset year’, with FY27 marking a return to growth.

This, combined with a sectorwide rotation back into ASX healthcare shares over the past month has helped reignite investor confidence back into the company and its potential for future growth.

The experts are still very optimistic too. TradingView data shows the majority of analysts (11 out of 19) have a buy/strong buy rating on the shares. But after the latest strong rally, the $182.85 target price is flat on where the shares are trading at the time of writing. 

Brokers rate Fortescue shares as a HOLD

Fortescue shares have slumped lower in September, continuing a run of losses shed since early-June. At the time of writing the shares are trading at $16.26, which is around 8% lower than a month ago and roughly 26% lower for the year-to-date.

The mining shares have been hit by headwinds from volatile iron ore prices, and conflict in the Middle East has also put downward pressure on the Fortescue share price. Last month, the miner posted a mixed FY26 result which didn’t help reignite confidence either.

Brokers are reserved about where the share price could go to next. TradingView data shows the majority of analysts have a hold rating on Fortescue shares. Although, after the latest share price slump, the $17.73 average target price implies the shares could still climb another 9% higher over the next 12 months, at the time of writing.

Brokers rate Westpac shares as a SELL

Westpac shares have had a mixed month. The ASX bank shares have swung between $35.04 and $33.85 throughout September as the market tries to come to terms with the latest inflation data, a weakening property market, and future interest rate increases.

At the time of writing, Westpac shares are trading for $34.92 a piece. They’ve climbed 1% over the past month but are still down around 10% for the year-to-date.

Westpac’s third-quarter FY26 update, posted last month, was good on the surface, but investors were spooked by the bank’s red flags around weaker mortgage demand. Westpac said mortgage application volumes declined through the period as competition intensified and borrowers continued to navigate interest rate uncertainty. It also said it expects mortgage growth will continue to be challenging.

TradingView data shows that the experts are bearish about the outlook for Westpac shares. The majority (nine out of 16) have a sell/strong sell rating on the shares. The average $33.42 target price implies a downside of around 4% at the time of writing.

The post Buy, hold, sell: Fortescue, Westpac, CSL shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 holds steady as investors brace for a big afternoon
• Experts name 3 popular ASX 200 shares to buy this week
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• 3 cheap ASX shares I would buy now
• If I buy $6,000 of Fortescue shares, how much dividend income will I receive?

Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.