Australian equities ended the trading session on Wednesday with gains, driven by positive performance in the Consumer Staples, Healthcare, and Industrials sectors.
At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 index rose by 0.51%.
Among the top performers on the S&P/ASX 200 were EML Payments Ltd (ASX:EML), which surged by 5.44% or 0.07 points, closing at 1.26. Brambles Ltd (ASX:BXB) also saw notable growth, advancing by 3.47% or 0.54 points to end at 16.09, while AMP Ltd (ASX:AMP) gained 3.11% or 0.04 points, reaching 1.16 in late trade.
Conversely, the session’s worst performers included Platinum Asset Management Ltd (ASX:PTM), which witnessed a significant decline of 20.69% or 0.27 points, closing at 1.03. St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM) and Premier Investments Ltd (ASX:PMV) also experienced decreases, falling by 4.41% and 3.06%, respectively.
On the Sydney Stock Exchange, declining stocks slightly outnumbered advancing ones, with 576 stocks falling, 563 rising, and 356 remaining unchanged.
EML Payments Ltd (ASX:EML) reached 52-week highs during the session, climbing by 5.44% or 0.07 to 1.26. Meanwhile, Brambles Ltd (ASX:BXB) reached all-time highs, rising by 3.47% or 0.54 to 16.09.
The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, experienced a decrease of 4.70% to 10.06, marking a new 3-month low.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for April delivery slightly declined by 0.06% or 1.30 to $2,175.90 per troy ounce. Crude oil for May delivery fell by 0.85% or 0.69 to reach $80.93 per barrel, while the June Brent oil contract dropped by 0.83% or 0.71, trading at $84.92 per barrel.
The currency market saw the AUD/USD pair remain unchanged at 0.65, while the AUD/JPY pair fell by 0.05% to 98.97.
The US Dollar Index Futures increased by 0.08% to 104.07.