Australian stocks saw a modest increase on Thursday, driven by strong performances in the Information Technology, Industrials, and A-REITs sectors. The S&P/ASX 200 index closed up by 0.21% in Sydney.
Among the session’s top performers were Pointsbet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH), which surged 14.00% to close at AUD 0.57. Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) also posted significant gains, climbing 13.85% to finish at AUD 1.32, while Codan Ltd (ASX: CDA) advanced 10.44%, ending the day at AUD 14.28.
On the downside, Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) was the worst performer, plummeting 20.78% to AUD 9.34. Insignia Financial Ltd (ASX: IFL) dropped 15.70% to close at AUD 2.47, and Collins Foods Ltd (ASX: CKF) fell 12.70% to AUD 7.70, hitting a 52-week low.
Market breadth was slightly positive, with 582 stocks advancing and 552 declining on the Sydney Stock Exchange, while 428 remained unchanged.
In other market developments, Pointsbet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH) and Codan Ltd (ASX: CDA) both reached 52-week highs, while Collins Foods Ltd (ASX: CKF) hit a 52-week low.
The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, an index measuring the implied volatility of options, decreased by 1.59% to 11.92, indicating a slight reduction in market uncertainty.
In the commodities market, December Gold Futures dipped 0.03% to USD 2,546.75 per troy ounce. Crude oil for October delivery fell 0.22% to USD 71.77 per barrel, while Brent oil for October slipped 0.07% to USD 76.00 per barrel.
Currency markets were relatively stable, with the AUD/USD holding steady at 0.67, and the AUD/JPY edging down 0.07% to 97.95. Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index Futures rose 0.13% to 101.04.
