Sydney, Australia – Australian stocks closed higher on Monday, with gains in the IT, A-REITs, and Telecoms Services sectors driving the market upwards.
At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 index recorded an increase of 0.81%.
Among the top performers on the S&P/ASX 200, Mesoblast Ltd (ASX:MSB) saw a notable rise of 16.67% or 0.16 points, reaching 1.09 by the close. Additionally, Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX:SGR) added 7.05% or 0.03 points, ending the session at 0.42, while Zip Co Ltd (ASX:ZIP) climbed by 6.71% or 0.08 points to 1.23 in late trading.
Conversely, Appen Ltd (ASX:APX) experienced a decline of 3.79% or 0.03 points, closing at 0.64. Similarly, Nuix Ltd (ASX:NXL) dropped by 3.32% or 0.07 points to settle at 2.04, while Kogan.com Ltd (ASX:KGN) was down 2.56% or 0.13 points, reaching 4.94.
The Sydney Stock Exchange witnessed more rising stocks than declining ones, with 711 stocks advancing, 459 declining, and 474 ending unchanged.
The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, experienced a decrease of 2.03% to 12.11.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for June delivery witnessed a decline of 0.23% or 5.40, settling at $2,341.80 per troy ounce. Crude oil for June delivery also fell by 0.82% or 0.69, reaching $83.16 per barrel, while the July Brent oil contract declined by 0.80% or 0.71, trading at $87.50 per barrel.
In forex markets, AUD/USD remained unchanged at 0.66, while AUD/JPY rose by 0.06% to 103.17.
The US Dollar Index Futures showed a decline of 0.16%, closing at 105.63.