Australian stocks finished the session higher, with the S&P/ASX 200 rising 1.01% to reach a new three-month high at the close in Sydney. Broad gains were driven by advances in the Healthcare, Consumer Discretionary and Consumer Staples sectors.
The session's top performers included Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX:LOV), which jumped 7.88% or 1.80 points to close at 24.64. Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX:TPW) rose 7.81% or 0.42 points to finish at 5.80, while CSL Ltd (ASX:CSL) added 6.62% or 7.91 points to end the day at 127.43.
Not all names moved higher: Megaport Ltd (ASX:MP1) led decliners, falling 8.40% or 1.50 points to close at 16.35. Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX:LTR) declined 7.71% or 0.09 points to 1.11, and IperionX Limited (ASX:IPX) was down 4.62% or 0.15 points to 3.10.
Market breadth was essentially flat, with 548 stocks advancing versus 545 that fell on the Sydney exchange, and 359 shares ending unchanged.
Volatility and sentiment indicators
The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which reflects implied volatility for S&P/ASX 200 options, rose 2.03% to 11.39, indicating a modest uptick in expected near-term market volatility.
Commodities and energy
Precious metals and energy contracts moved higher overall. Gold futures for August delivery showed a marginal increase of 0.01% or 0.60 to trade at 4,039.30 a troy ounce. Oil prices posted larger gains: crude oil for September delivery rose 3.86% or 3.06 to 82.32 a barrel, and the October Brent contract advanced 3.34% or 2.74 to 84.82 a barrel.
Currency moves
Foreign exchange pairs were mixed. The Australian dollar held steady against the US dollar, effectively unchanged with a 0.30% reading at 0.70 for AUD/USD. AUD/JPY weakened, falling 0.47% to 113.74.
Other market data
The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.08% at 101.18, while other index and commodity tickers referenced in trading summaries included AXJO and AXDJ movements reported alongside individual stock performances.
This session displayed both concentrated strength in select consumer and healthcare names and pronounced weakness in specific technology and resource-related stocks, producing a market day where headline index gains masked notable single-stock dispersion.