Key Points:
- The Australian stock market reached a new all-time high, driven by gains in the Gold and Materials sectors; the S&P/ASX 200 index rose by 0.99%
- Leading performers included Mesoblast Ltd (ASX:MSB), Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX:RSG), and Omni Bridgeway Ltd (ASX:OBL).
- Zip Co Ltd (ASX:ZIP), G8 Education Ltd (ASX:GEM), and EML Payments Ltd (ASX:EML) witnessed significant declines.
- With the Sydney Stock Exchange’s overall positive sentiment, the S&P/ASX 200 VIX decreased by 2.62% during the session.
The Australian stock market closed higher on Friday, with the S&P/ASX 200 reaching a new all-time high fueled by gains in the Gold, Materials, and Metals & mining sectors. At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 index rose by 0.99%, reflecting positive investor sentiment and bullish market trends.
Leading the session’s gains on the S&P/ASX 200 was Mesoblast Ltd (ASX:MSB), which rose by an impressive 12.12% or 0.06 points to trade at 0.56 at the close. Similarly, Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX:RSG) recorded a significant increase of 10.26% or 0.04 points, closing at 0.43, while Omni Bridgeway Ltd (ASX:OBL) saw a rise of 6.34% or 0.09 points to 1.51 in late trade.
Conversely, Zip Co Ltd (ASX:ZIP) emerged as one of the session’s worst performers, declining by 7.33% or 0.11 points to trade 1.39 at the close. G8 Education Ltd (ASX:GEM) also experienced a downturn, falling by 3.23% or 0.04 points to end at 1.20, while EML Payments Ltd (ASX:EML) witnessed a decrease of 3.15% or 0.04 points to 1.23.
With the overall positive sentiment on the Sydney Stock Exchange, the S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, decreased by 2.62% to 9.79, marking a new 3-month low and indicating reduced market volatility.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for June delivery experienced a notable increase of 1.90%, reaching $2,254.80 per troy ounce. Meanwhile, Crude oil for delivery in May rose by 2.16% to hit $83.11 a barrel, and the June Brent oil contract saw a slight uptick of 0.05% to trade at $86.99 a barrel.
Currency markets saw mixed movements, with the AUD/USD pair remaining at 0.65 while the AUD/JPY pair falling by 0.10% to 98.51. Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index Futures increased by 0.20% to 104.27, indicating a slight dollar strengthening against a basket of major currencies.
