Market close
Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 finished the trading day up 0.12% in Sydney on Thursday, buoyed by advances in the Financials, Utilities and Industrials sectors.
Top movers
The session's strongest performer on the S&P/ASX 200 was Megaport Ltd (ASX:MP1), which surged 28.43% - a gain of 2.80 points - to finish at 12.65. Other notable winners included Codan Ltd (ASX:CDA), up 4.44% or 1.71 points to 40.26, and Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX:IAG), which rose 3.29% or 0.25 points to close at 7.85.
On the downside, GrainCorp Ltd (ASX:GNC) fell 12.86% or 0.80 points to end the day at 5.42, a drop that took the stock to three-year lows. Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:LYC) declined 10.40% or 2.07 points to 17.83, and Xero Ltd (ASX:XRO) lost 8.90% or 7.21 points to finish at 73.79.
Breadth and volatility
Decliners outnumbered advancers on the Sydney Stock Exchange, with 682 stocks falling versus 445 rising. A total of 404 issues ended the session unchanged. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures implied volatility for index options, eased 3.71% to 12.68.
Commodities and currencies
In commodity markets, Gold Futures for June delivery slipped 0.18% or 8.45 to trade at $4,698.25 a troy ounce. Oil prices moved higher: crude for June delivery rose 0.21% or 0.21 to $101.23 a barrel, while the July Brent contract gained 0.23% or 0.24 to trade at $105.87 a barrel.
Currency moves were modest. The Australian dollar versus the US dollar (AUD/USD) was effectively unchanged, moving 0.03% to 0.73, while AUD/JPY ticked up 0.03% to 114.63. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.05% at 98.38.
Stock-specific note
Shares in GrainCorp Ltd (ASX:GNC) reached three-year lows during the session as the stock dropped 12.86% or 0.80 to 5.42 at the close.
Valuation tool mention
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