PRE-MARKET AUSTRALIAN STOCKS NEWS: Retailer updates including from JB Hi-Fi, Super Retail Group and Wesfarmers

BHP Group (BHP AT) - Co. and Rio Tinto (RIO AT) will face class actions over workplace harassment after the Federal Court rejected their attempts to strike out most claims brought by former employees, who are also eligible to have their legal costs covered by the miners. (AFR)

Challenger (CGF AT) - Japan's Dai-ichi Life is reportedly preparing to return with an improved takeover offer for the Co. after its initial proposal was rejected. (The Australian)

Champion Iron (CIA AT) - Co. Q2 (CAD) loss/shr 0.09, rev. fell 18% Y/Y to 403.9mln, iron ore concentrate production rose 9% Y/Y to 3.9mln tonnes, sales rose 17% Y/Y to 4.5mln tonnes, C1 cash costs rose 9% Y/Y to CAD 82.9/tonne, all-in sustaining costs rose 1% Y/Y to CAD 97.9/tonne, average realised price USD 105.5/tonne. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Dexus (DXS AT) - Co. has called an investor meeting seeking approval to wind up its AUD 2.1bln Diversified Infrastructure Trust, which holds stakes in Reliance Rail and University of Melbourne student accommodation. (AFR)

JB Hi-Fi (JBH AT) - Co. Q1 Australian sales fell 0.4% Y/Y, comparable sales fell 1.4% Y/Y, New Zealand sales rose 17% Y/Y, comparable sales rose 11% Y/Y, Good Guys sales fell 0.1% Y/Y, comparable sales fell 0.4% Y/Y, E&S sales fell 3.7% Y/Y, comparable sales fell 4.5% Y/Y. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Liontown Resources (LTR AT) - Co. Q4 spodumene production 77.98k dmt, concentrate sales 82.56k dmt. (Newswires)

Lynas Rare Earths (LYC AT) - Co. Q1 (AUD) gross sales revenue 310.1mln, sales receipts 266.6mln, total production 4,254 tonnes, NdPr production 2,082 tonnes, Dy and Tb production 23 tonnes, average selling price reached a record AUD 102.1/kg, cash and short-term deposits stood at 1.21bln as of September 30, while Q2 production is expected to fall Q/Q due to planned maintenance. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Northern Star Resources (NST AT) - Co. is reportedly seeking AUD 31.50/shr for a proposed AUD 36bln merger with Gold Fields, whose initial AUD 27/shr offer has fallen to around AUD 25/shr amid declining gold prices. (The Australian)

NRW Holdings (NRW) - Co. announces one‑year extension of Golding contract with Coronado at Curragh mine, valued at AUD 200mln and will commence in January 2027. (Newswires)

Resolute Mining (RSG AT) - Co. Q3 (USD) EBITDA 64.0mln, gold production 44,398oz, all-in sustaining costs 2,506/oz, capital expenditure 85.3mln, net cash stood at 276.1mln as of September 30, Doropo construction remains on schedule and within budget, and Co. reaffirmed its recently revised guidance. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Suncorp Group (SUN AT) - Co. expects FY27 gross written premium growth of around 3%, with the loss of a large commercial contract reducing GWP by AUD 125mln and NZD weakness lowering growth by 70 basis points in AUD terms, while the contract loss will be reflected in H1 and growth is expected to be weighted towards H2. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Super Retail Group (SUL AT) - Co. Q1 total sales rose 2.0% Y/Y, like-for-like sales rose 0.2% Y/Y, Supercheap Auto like-for-like sales rose 2.5% Y/Y, Rebel rose 0.3% Y/Y and BCF fell 1.1% Y/Y. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Wesfarmers (WES AT) - Co. said FY27 has begun reasonably, with strong WesCEF performance offsetting softer retail demand, Bunnings sales growth moderating amid weaker seasonal and commercial sales, Kmart and Officeworks growth broadly in line with H2 FY26, and Kmart's new Moorebank facility expected to reach practical completion in November with FY27 commissioning costs of AUD 30mln-40mln. (Dow Jones Newsplus)

Woolworths Group (WOW AT) - Co. faces a challenging period as it works to sustain its operational improvement following recent progress. (Dow Jones Newsplus Market Talk)

ASIC is reportedly investigating the lead Wall Street banks involved in the failed AUD 44bln Firmus float, following claims to investors of strong demand days before the listing collapsed. (The Australian)

• Australian Clinical Labs (ACL AT) price target raised 7.4% to AUD 2.90/shr by Macquarie.
• Credit Corp Group (CCP AT) cut to neutral from outperform by Macquarie, price target raised 2.6% to AUD 14.74/shr.
• Data#3 (DTL AT) price target raised 9.6% to AUD 10.80/shr by Macquarie.
• Dyno Nobel (DNL AT) price target cut 1.1% to AUD 4.35/shr by Macquarie.
• Woolworths Group (WOW AT) price target raised 1.4% to AUD 35.90/shr by Macquarie.

Pre-market Australian wraps of this kind bundle quarterly trading updates with rumour-sourced M&A items, and the two behave differently in the session that follows: hard prints (JB Hi-Fi, Super Retail, Wesfarmers, the miners) tend to set opening direction, while press-sourced deal items (Challenger and Dai-ichi, Northern Star and Gold Fields) trade on confirmation risk and can reverse on a single denial. The retail reads are the Australian consumer's first hard data of the reporting season and have historically acted as a bellwether for the discretionary complex, with the split between like-for-like and total sales the usual tell on whether growth is footprint or demand. On the mining side, the pattern in these quarterly prints is that realised price and unit costs matter more than headline volumes, since cost inflation has been the persistent margin swing factor across iron ore, lithium and gold names. The class-action ruling against the two majors fits a sequence where strike-out losses are followed by prolonged settlement negotiation rather than near-term financial resolution. The follow-ons that typically matter are any company response to the takeover reports, the ASIC probe's first named targets, and how the retail prints read across to the broader discretionary peer set at the open.