On Thursday, Australia’s stocks closed lower, with losses in the Financials, Consumer Discretionary, and Telecoms Services sectors leading the market downturn.
By the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 declined by 0.20%.
Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:CUV) was among the session’s top performers on the S&P/ASX 200, rising by 10.98% or 1.45 points to reach 14.65 at the close. Similarly, Silver Lake Resources Ltd (ASX:SLR) gained 6.58% or 0.08 points to end at 1.22, while St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM) climbed by 6.45% or 0.01 points to reach 0.17 in late trade.
However, some stocks experienced declines, with Appen Ltd (ASX:APX) leading the losses by falling 17.62% or 0.17 points to trade at 0.80 at the close. Polynovo Ltd (ASX:PNV) also saw a decline of 6.83% or 0.17 points, ending at 2.32, while AP Eagers Ltd (ASX:APE) dropped by 6.69% or 1.00 points to 13.95.
Overall, falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Sydney Stock Exchange, with 624 stocks declining, 527 advancing, and 347 remaining 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 decreased by 0.25% or 5.35 to $2,175.45 a troy ounce. Crude oil for April delivery rose by 0.01% or 0.01 to reach $79.73 a barrel, while the May Brent oil contract increased by 0.07% or 0.06 to trade at $84.09 a barrel.
The AUD/USD pair remained unchanged at 0.66, while the AUD/JPY pair also remained steady at 97.84.
The US Dollar Index Futures rose by 0.10% to 102.50.