Key Points:
- The S&P/ASX 200 index exhibited a modest increase of 0.11%, and S&P/ASX All Ords Gold (AXGD) saw a significant rise of 2.42%.
- Appen Ltd (ASX:APX) and Mesoblast Ltd (ASX:MSB) were among the top performers, rising by 30.12% and 23.44%, respectively.
- Champion Iron Ltd (ASX:CIA) and Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX:WHC) experienced losses, falling 3.93% and 3.84%, respectively.
- Gold Futures for April delivery experienced a slight decrease of 0.20%, and April Crude oil and May Brent oil contracts both saw a rise.
In the aftermath of Tuesday’s trading session, Australian stocks closed higher, propelled by notable gains in the Gold, IT, and Utilities sectors. At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 index exhibited a modest increase of 0.11%. S&P/ASX All Ords Gold (AXGD) saw a significant rise of 2.42% or 164.80 to settle at 6,965.30 by the session’s end.
Among the top performers on the S&P/ASX 200 were Appen Ltd (ASX:APX), which soared by 30.12% or 0.25 points to reach 1.08 by the session’s end. Similarly, Mesoblast Ltd (ASX:MSB) saw a significant rise of 23.44%, adding 0.08 points to conclude at 0.40. Alumina Ltd (ASX:AWC) experienced a notable surge, climbing by 8.51% or 0.10 points to settle at 1.27 in late trade.
Conversely, some stocks declined during the session, with Champion Iron Ltd (ASX:CIA) leading the losses by falling 3.93% or 0.29 points to trade at 7.09 by the close. Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX:WHC) also saw a decline of 3.84%, dropping 0.27 points to finish at 6.77, while St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM) slipped by 3.03% or 0.01 points, ending at 0.16.
Regarding market breadth, rising stocks surpassed declining ones on the Sydney Stock Exchange, with 596 stocks advancing, 555 declining, and 310 remaining unchanged. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which gauges the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, decreased 4.20% to 12.53.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for April delivery experienced a slight decrease of 0.20% or 4.45, settling at $2,184.15 per troy ounce. Meanwhile, Crude oil for delivery in April edged up by 0.19% or 0.15, reaching $78.08 per barrel, and the May Brent oil contract rose by 0.30% or 0.25 to trade at $82.46 per barrel.
Currency markets saw the AUD/USD pair remaining unchanged at 0.66, while AUD/JPY rose by 0.32% to 97.50. The US Dollar Index Futures recorded a minor decline of 0.04%, reaching 102.42.
