Australian stock markets closed higher on Thursday, driven by advances in the Energy, Telecoms Services and Resources sectors. At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.88% and reached a new 3-months high.
Among individual names, Hub24 Ltd (ASX:HUB) led gains on the benchmark, finishing up 14.73% - a rise of 12.70 points - to trade at 98.94 at the close. Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX:SHL) was also a notable outperformer, adding 9.56% or 2.03 points to end the session at 23.27. Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX:NWL) climbed 6.71% or 1.70 points to close at 27.05.
Not all large-cap stocks participated in the rally. Zip Co Ltd (ASX:ZIP) recorded the session's largest fall, dropping 33.87% or 0.96 points to finish at 1.87. Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX:LOV) declined 11.93% or 3.70 points to close at 27.31. Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX:WES) slipped 5.64% or 5.03 points to 84.23.
Market breadth was positive, with rising stocks outnumbering decliners on the Sydney exchange by 618 to 529, and 392 stocks finishing unchanged.
Measures of expected market volatility edged higher: the S&P/ASX 200 VIX rose 1.23% to 11.64.
Commodities markets showed small moves. Gold Futures for April delivery dipped 0.04%, down 2.05 to $5,007.45 a troy ounce. In energy, Crude oil for April delivery increased 0.34% or 0.22 to $65.27 a barrel, while the April Brent oil contract rose 0.24% or 0.17 to trade at $70.52 a barrel.
Currency markets were stable overall. AUD/USD was nearly unchanged, showing a 0.09% move to 0.70, while AUD/JPY strengthened 0.33% to 109.39. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.06% at 97.68.
Market snapshot
- S&P/ASX 200: +0.88%, new 3-months high
- Top gainers: Hub24 Ltd (ASX:HUB), Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX:SHL), Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX:NWL)
- Largest decliners: Zip Co Ltd (ASX:ZIP), Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX:LOV), Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX:WES)
- VIX: +1.23% to 11.64
- Gold (April): -0.04% to $5,007.45 per troy ounce
- Crude Oil (April): +0.34% to $65.27 per barrel; Brent (April): +0.24% to $70.52 per barrel
- FX: AUD/USD +0.09% to 0.70; AUD/JPY +0.33% to 109.39; US Dollar Index Futures +0.06% at 97.68
This session highlighted a mix of concentrated stock-level moves amid broader sector gains, with Energy, Telecoms Services and Resources supporting the benchmark advance while several large-cap names recorded steep declines.