Key Points:
- Australian stocks closed lower as the IT, A-REITs, and Metals & Mining sectors declined. The S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.98%, marking a new 1-month low.
- St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM), Perseus Mining Ltd (ASX:PRU), and Santos Ltd (ASX:STO) were among the top performers.
- Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:CUV), Omni Bridgeway Ltd (ASX:OBL), and Polynovo Ltd (ASX:PNV) were among the worst performers.
- 789 stocks declined against 368 advancing ones, while 433 ended unchanged. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX surged 19.98%, marking a new three-month high.
Australian stocks ended lower after Friday’s trading session. Losses were primarily observed in the IT, A-REITs, and Metals & Mining sectors, contributing to declining shares across the board. At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.98% or 74.80 to 7,567.30, marking a new 1-month low.
Among the top performers of the session on the S&P/ASX 200 was St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM), which rose 3.39% or 0.01 to trade at 0.30 at the close. This was followed by Perseus Mining Ltd (ASX:PRU), which gained 1.32% or 0.03 to end at 2.30, and Santos Ltd (ASX:STO), up 1.82% or 0.14 to 7.83 in late trade.
Conversely, the worst performers included Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:CUV), which fell 5.95% or 0.91 to trade at 14.38 at the close, Omni Bridgeway Ltd (ASX:OBL), which declined by 4.62% or 0.06 to end at 1.24, and Polynovo Ltd (ASX:PNV), which was down by 5.58% or 0.11 to 1.94.
Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Sydney Stock Exchange, with 789 declining stocks against 368 advancing ones, while 433 ended unchanged. Omni Bridgeway Ltd (ASX:OBL) notably fell to 5-year lows during the session. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, measuring the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, surged by 19.98% or 2.43 to reach 14.60, marking a new 3-month high.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for June delivery experienced a slight decrease of 0.05% to $2,396.90 per troy ounce. Crude oil for delivery in May rose 1.47% to hit $83.95 per barrel, while the June Brent oil contract increased by 1.46% to trade at $88.38 a barrel.
Currency pairs showed mixed movements, with AUD/USD remaining unchanged at 0.64, while AUD/JPY fell by 0.51% to 98.80. The US Dollar Index Futures rose by 0.07% to 106.06.
