Australian stocks experienced a downturn on Tuesday’s close, with losses primarily driven by the IT, Metals & Mining, and Gold sectors. At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 index declined by 0.58%, reflecting a broader trend of negative sentiment in the market.
Among the top performers of the session on the S&P/ASX 200 was Omni Bridgeway Ltd. (ASX: OBL), which saw a notable increase of 5.00%, closing at 1.36. Additionally, Zip Co Ltd. (ASX: ZIP) rose by 4.67%, ending the session at 0.79, while Nuix Ltd. (ASX: NXL) recorded a gain of 4.17%, closing at 1.63.
Conversely, Cochlear Ltd. (ASX: COH) emerged as one of the session’s worst performers, witnessing a decline of 6.51% and closing at 288.36. Similarly, Champion Iron Ltd. (ASX: CIA) experienced losses of 4.68%, and Wisetech Global Ltd. (ASX: WTC) was down 3.45%.
During the session, Zip Co Ltd. (ASX: ZIP) notably reached a 52-week high, marking a positive development amidst the overall market downturn. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, an indicator of market volatility, decreased by 4.93% to 11.91, reflecting a slight decrease in market uncertainty.
On the Sydney Stock Exchange, falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones, with 672 stocks declining, 479 advancing, and 336 remaining unchanged.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for April delivery remained relatively stable, while Crude oil for delivery in March experienced a modest increase, rising to $72.95 a barrel. Similarly, the April Brent oil contract rose to $78.18 a barrel.
In currency markets, the AUD/USD pair remained unchanged at 0.65, while AUD/JPY recorded a slight increase of 0.28%, reaching 96.67. Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index Futures decreased by 0.11% to 104.20, indicating a modest decline in the value of the US dollar against a basket of major currencies.
Overall, the Australian stock market displayed a mixed performance, characterized by sector-specific declines and notable individual stock movements, against the backdrop of global economic uncertainties and market volatility.
