Key Points:
- Australian stocks closed higher, driven by gains in the IT, A-REITs, and Telecoms Services sectors. The S&P/ASX 200 index surged by 0.81%.
- Mesoblast Ltd (ASX:MSB), Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX:SGR), and Zip Co Ltd (ASX:ZIP) were among the top performers.
- Appen Ltd (ASX:APX), Nuix Ltd (ASX:NXL), and Kogan.com Ltd (ASX:KGN) were among the worst performers.
- 711 stocks advanced, 459 declined, and 474 remained unchanged. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX decreased by 2.04%.
Australian stocks closed higher on Monday, propelled by notable gains in the IT, A-REITs, and Telecoms Services sectors. At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 index surged by 0.81% or 61.50 to 7,637.40, reflecting a positive market sentiment.
Mesoblast Ltd (ASX:MSB) emerged as a standout performer on the S&P/ASX 200, demonstrating a significant increase of 16.67% or 0.16 points, reaching 1.08 by the end of the session. Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX:SGR) also saw a substantial rise of 6.41% or 0.025 points, closing at 0.42, while Zip Co Ltd (ASX:ZIP) experienced a gain of 6.93% or 0.08 points, settling at 1.24 in late trade.
Conversely, Appen Ltd (ASX:APX) emerged as one of the worst performers, witnessing a decline of 3.79% or 0.025 points, concluding at 0.64. Following suit, Nuix Ltd (ASX:NXL) fell by 3.32% or 0.07 points, reaching 2.04, while Kogan.com Ltd (ASX:KGN) experienced a decrease of 2.56% or 0.13 points, closing at 4.94.
The Sydney Stock Exchange saw more rising stocks than declining ones, with 711 stocks advancing, 459 declining, and 474 remaining unchanged. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, indicating the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, decreased by 2.04% or 0.25 to 12.11.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for June delivery experienced a slight dip of 0.23% or 5.40, trading at $2,341.80 a troy ounce. Crude oil for delivery in June fell by 0.82% or 0.69, reaching $83.16 a barrel, while the July Brent oil contract declined by 0.80% or 0.71, trading at $87.50 a barrel.
Currency-wise, the AUD/USD pair remained unchanged at 0.66, while the AUD/JPY pair rose marginally by 0.06% to 103.17. The US Dollar Index Futures decreased by 0.16% to 105.63.
