Market close
Australia's equities retreated at Wednesday's close, with the S&P/ASX 200 falling 0.46% to record a new one-month low. Sector weakness in Financials, Utilities and Industrials contributed to the downward move, leaving the benchmark lower at the end of trading in Sydney.
Top gainers
The session's strongest performers included Aristocrat Leisure Ltd (ASX:ALL), which climbed 13.44% or 6.16 points to finish at 52.01. Perenti Global Ltd (ASX:PRN) advanced 8.87% or 0.18 points to close at 2.21, while Generation Development Group Ltd (ASX:GDG) rose 6.44% or 0.26 points to end the day at 4.22.
Largest decliners
On the downside, Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX:PDN) fell 11.26% or 1.43 points to trade at 11.27 at the close. Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX:TPW) declined 5.64% or 0.30 points to end at 5.02, and PEXA Group Ltd (ASX:PXA) slipped 4.27% or 0.53 points to 11.87.
Breadth and notable levels
Falling stocks marginally outnumbered advancing issues on the Sydney Stock Exchange by 567 to 564, with 417 stocks unchanged. Shares in Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX:TPW) fell to 52-week lows, losing 5.64% or 0.30 to 5.02.
Volatility and derivatives
The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, a gauge of implied volatility for S&P/ASX 200 options, was down 2.70% at 13.17, signaling a slight easing in option-implied volatility.
Commodities
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for June delivery rose 0.63% or 29.42 to $4,716.12 a troy ounce. Crude oil for June delivery fell 1.39% or 1.42 to $100.76 a barrel, while the July Brent oil contract declined 1.36% or 1.47 to trade at $106.30 a barrel.
Foreign exchange and dollars
On currency markets, AUD/USD was effectively unchanged, moving 0.08% to 0.72, while AUD/JPY ticked up 0.04% to 114.15. The US Dollar Index Futures rose 0.08% to 98.25.
This report records market moves and closing levels from the Sydney trading session. Where available, percentage changes and point moves are shown for individual stocks and contracts as reported at the close.