Australian equities finished the trading day in positive territory on Thursday as sector gains in Gold, Metals & Mining and Materials pushed the benchmark higher.
At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.47%, marking a new all-time closing high.
Top and bottom performers
The session's strongest performers on the S&P/ASX 200 included AMP Ltd (ASX:AMP), which advanced 5.96% - an increase of 0.13 points - to finish at 2.31. Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX:WGX) gained 5.62%, rising 0.29 points to 5.45, and Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX:VAU) climbed 5.09%, up 0.27 points to 5.57 in late trade.
On the downside, Wisetech Global Ltd (ASX:WTC) fell 2.51%, a decline of 1.00 points, to close at 38.91. Block Inc (ASX:XYZ) slipped 1.93% or 2.33 points to 118.50, while Generation Development Group Ltd (ASX:GDG) decreased 1.90%, down 0.08 points to 4.13.
Market breadth and volatility
Advancers outnumbered decliners on the Sydney exchange by 627 to 478, and 368 stocks finished unchanged. Shares of AMP Ltd reached five-year highs during the session, rising 5.96% or 0.13 to 2.31.
The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, a gauge of implied volatility for S&P/ASX 200 options, moved lower by 0.74% to 11.06.
Commodities and energy contracts
In commodities trading, December delivery Gold Futures rose 0.27%, an increase of 11.45, to $4,316.65 per troy ounce. Crude oil for September delivery inched up 0.01% or 0.01 to $75.23 a barrel, while the October Brent contract rose 0.16% or 0.13 to trade at $79.58 a barrel.
Foreign exchange and dollar benchmarks
Currency moves were modest. AUD/USD was unchanged 0.20% to 0.70, while AUD/JPY fell 0.17% to 111.15. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.08% at 99.63.
Takeaway
Thursday's session saw the S&P/ASX 200 close at a record level, with mineral and materials-related names among the leading contributors. Market breadth favored risers over decliners, and implied volatility on the benchmark slipped slightly. Commodity prices posted small gains in gold and crude contracts, while currency pairs registered only minor movement.
Data points cited are end-of-session values and contract prices reported in the market close summary.