Key Points:
- Australian stock market ended Thursday’s session on a lower note; the S&P/ASX 200 index dropped by 0.20% at the close in Sydney.
- Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:CUV), Silver Lake Resources Ltd (ASX:SLR), and St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM) were the top performers.
- Appen Ltd (ASX:APX) declined by 17.62%, Polynovo Ltd (ASX:PNV) dropped by 6.83%, and AP Eagers Ltd (ASX:APE) fell by 6.69%, were the worst performers.
- 624 stocks declined, 527 advanced, and 347 ended unchanged; the S&P/ASX 200 VIX decreased by 3.01% to 11.25.
Australian stock market ended Thursday’s session on a lower note, with losses primarily driven by declines in the Financials, Consumer Discretionary, and Telecoms Services sectors. The S&P/ASX 200 index dropped by 0.20% at the close in Sydney.
Among the top performers in the S&P/ASX 200 index were Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:CUV), which surged by 10.98% or 1.45 points to reach 14.65 at the close. Silver Lake Resources Ltd (ASX:SLR) also recorded gains, rising by 6.58% or 0.08 points to end at 1.22, while St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM) saw an increase of 6.45% or 0.01 points to 0.17 in late trade.
Conversely, some of the worst performers included Appen Ltd (ASX:APX), which experienced a significant decline of 17.62% or 0.17 points, closing at 0.80. Polynovo Ltd (ASX:PNV) dropped by 6.83% or 0.17 points to finish at 2.32, and AP Eagers Ltd (ASX:APE) fell by 6.69% or 1.00 points to 13.95.
On the Sydney Stock Exchange, falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones, with 624 stocks declining, 527 advancing, and 347 ending unchanged. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, decreased by 3.01% to 11.25.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for April delivery experienced a slight decline of 0.25%, or 5.35, to $2,175.45 per troy ounce. Meanwhile, Crude oil for April delivery rose marginally by 0.01%, or 0.01, to reach $79.73 per barrel, and the May Brent oil contract increased by 0.07%, or 0.06, trading at $84.09 per barrel.
The currency market saw the AUD/USD pair remain unchanged at 0.66, while the AUD/JPY pair remained stable at 97.84. In the futures market, the US Dollar Index Futures showed a slight increase of 0.10%, reaching 102.50.
