Australia’s stocks ended the trading day on a positive note, with the S&P/ASX 200 rising by 0.49% to reach a new 52-week high. The Energy, Financials, and Resources sectors played pivotal roles in driving the market higher.
Top performers on the S&P/ASX 200 included Omni Bridgeway Ltd (ASX:OBL), which surged by 4.80%, and Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX:WHC), gaining 4.03%. JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX:JBH) also saw a notable increase, rising by 2.75% to reach 52-week highs.
Conversely, St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM) experienced a decline of 4.76%, while Abacus Property Group (ASX:ABG) and Bapcor Ltd (ASX:BAP) were down by 3.04% and 2.89%, respectively.
The overall market sentiment remained positive, with rising stocks outnumbering declining ones on the Sydney Stock Exchange. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, measuring implied volatility, held steady at 11.23, reaching a new one-month high.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for February delivery increased by 0.42% to $2,080.45 per troy ounce. Crude oil for February delivery rose by 1.62% to $72.81 a barrel, and the March Brent oil contract was up 1.79% to $78.42 a barrel.
The AUD/USD pair remained unchanged at 0.68, while AUD/JPY rose by 0.63% to 96.59. The US Dollar Index Futures increased by 0.16% to 101.19. Overall, the positive market momentum reflected in the S&P/ASX 200’s new 52-week high marked a promising start to the trading year in Australia.