Australian equities ended the trading day in Sydney on a softer note Thursday, with the S&P/ASX 200 finishing 0.24% lower. The day's decline was driven by weakness in several sectors, most notably Consumer Staples, Gold and Metals & Mining.
At the close, the benchmark index recorded a modest retreat after mixed activity among large- and mid-cap names. Market breadth was tilted toward sellers: 732 stocks fell while 445 advanced and 388 finished unchanged on the Sydney exchange.
Top performers
- ASX Ltd (ASX:ASX) led gains on the S&P/ASX 200, rising 5.12% or 2.96 points to close at 60.81.
- Generation Development Group Ltd (ASX:GDG) added 4.97% or 0.19 points to finish at 3.90.
- AUB Group Ltd (ASX:AUB) was up 4.12% or 1.02 points, ending the session at 25.75.
Weakest performers
- Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX:WGX) led the laggards, falling 8.22% or 0.49 points to 5.41 at the close.
- Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX:GMD) slipped 7.87% or 0.50 points to end at 5.85.
- Woolworths Ltd (ASX:WOW) declined 7.54% or 2.81 points to close at 34.48.
Investor sentiment toward options on the benchmark registered a pickup in implied volatility. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX rose 2.51% to 13.13, indicating somewhat higher option-implied market uncertainty at the close.
Commodities saw notable moves during the session. Gold futures for June delivery were up 0.45% or 20.31 to $4,581.81 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for June delivery climbed 3.00% or 3.21 to $110.09 a barrel, while the July Brent contract increased 3.29% or 3.63 to trade at $114.07 a barrel.
Currency pairs were mixed in Asian trade: AUD/USD was essentially flat, changing 0.03% to 0.71, while AUD/JPY rose 0.11% to 114.30. The US Dollar Index Futures moved up 0.07% to 98.89.
This session’s price action left the local benchmark down for the day, with sector-specific pressures in Consumer Staples, Gold and Metals & Mining contributing to the decline and raw-materials and energy markets showing upward price movement.