In Friday’s trading session, Australian stocks concluded lower as losses in the Gold, Energy, and Resources sectors weighed down on shares.
At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 fell by 0.31%.
Among the top performers on the S&P/ASX 200 were Nickel Mines Ltd (ASX:NIC), rising 4.10% to 0.70, Austal Ltd (ASX:ASB), adding 3.57% to 2.03, and St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM), up 2.44% to 0.21 in late trade.
Conversely, the worst performers of the session included Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX:RSG), which fell 3.76% to 0.45, Perseus Mining Ltd (ASX:PRU), declining 3.66% to 1.85, and Gold Road Resources Ltd (ASX:GOR), down 2.97% to 1.96.
Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Sydney Stock Exchange, with 565 declining, 552 advancing, and 399 remaining unchanged.
The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, measuring the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, rose by 6.18% to 11.23, marking a new 1-month high.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for February delivery dipped by 0.17% to $2,079.95 a troy ounce. Meanwhile, Crude oil for delivery in February rose by 0.54% to $72.16 a barrel, and the March Brent oil contract increased by 0.66% to $77.66 a barrel.
AUD/USD remained unchanged at 0.68, while AUD/JPY rose by 0.13% to 96.72. The US Dollar Index Futures fell by 0.03% to 100.89.