Australia’s stock market concluded on a positive trajectory on Friday, with notable gains observed in the Energy, Gold, and Financials sectors.
At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 index advanced by 0.35%.
Among the top performers on the S&P/ASX 200 were St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM), which surged by 13.54% or 0.03 points to trade at 0.27 by the close. Similarly, Appen Ltd (ASX:APX) witnessed robust performance, climbing by 8.70% or 0.05 points to conclude at 0.63, while Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX:RSG) saw a notable increase of 7.65% or 0.03 points, reaching 0.46 in late trade.
Conversely, notable decliners during the session included Credit Corp Group Ltd (ASX:CCP), which experienced a decline of 4.89% or 0.77 points, closing at 14.97. Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX:ILU) fell by 2.10% or 0.17 points, ending at 7.68, while JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX:JBH) dropped by 1.89% or 1.08 points to 56.17.
On the Sydney Stock Exchange, rising stocks outnumbered declining ones, with 634 advancing, 527 declining, and 442 remaining unchanged.
The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, measuring the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, experienced a marginal decrease of 0.30% to 11.34.
In commodity markets, Gold Futures for June delivery saw a rise of 1.25% or 29.25 to reach $2,369.55 per troy ounce. Additionally, Crude oil for June delivery increased by 0.81% or 0.64, trading at $79.90 per barrel, while the July Brent oil contract climbed by 0.70% or 0.59, reaching $84.47 per barrel.
Currency-wise, AUD/USD remained unchanged at 0.66, while AUD/JPY witnessed a 0.08% decline to 102.84.
The US Dollar Index Futures recorded a slight increase of 0.02%, reaching 105.13.