Australian equities finished the trading day in positive territory on Tuesday, led by strength in the Gold, IT and Metals & Mining sectors. At the close in Sydney the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.89%.
Among individual stocks, DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) was the session leader on the index, gaining 7.54% or 0.26 points to finish at 3.71. Newmont Corporation DRC (ASX:NEM) added 5.95% or 9.28 points to close at 165.24, while L1 Long Short Fund Ltd (ASX:LSF) rose 5.56% or 0.22 points to end the session at 4.18.
On the downside, Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:NEU) recorded the largest percentage fall among S&P/ASX 200 constituents, dropping 9.85% or 1.60 points to 14.65 at the close. Contact Energy Ltd (ASX:CEN) declined 5.88% or 0.50 points to finish at 8.00, and Ventia Services Group Ltd (ASX:VNT) fell 4.14% or 0.24 points to 5.56.
Market breadth was positive: rising stocks outnumbered decliners on the Sydney exchange by 727 to 435, with 349 issues unchanged.
Implied volatility for the S&P/ASX 200, as measured by the S&P/ASX 200 VIX, moved lower during the session, down 7.93% to 11.58.
Commodities markets saw meaningful moves. Gold futures for April delivery rose 4.48% or 208.40 to trade at $4,861.00 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for March delivery slipped 0.39% or 0.24 to $61.90 a barrel, while the April Brent contract fell 0.47% or 0.31 to trade at $65.99 a barrel.
Foreign exchange rates reflected a firmer Australian dollar. AUD/USD gained 0.88% to 0.70, and AUD/JPY increased 0.80% to 108.96. The US Dollar Index Futures declined 0.19% to 97.31.
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Overall, the close in Sydney left the benchmark higher and market indicators showing reduced option-implied volatility, while commodity and currency moves punctuated the session.