Aug 27, 2026 – 8.00pmThe market was bracing for cautious boardrooms and defensive balance sheets this earnings season and instead Australia’s mining giants delivered the biggest surprise, handing shareholders a bumper round of dividends that far exceeded even the most optimistic of forecasts.Across Australia’s 200 biggest publicly listed companies, payouts were higher for the 2026 financial year and came in 2 per cent better than the market expected. For the resources sector, dividends beat expectations by 5 per cent, according to MST Marquee.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles