Australian shares finished the trading day higher on Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 advancing 1.17% to register a new closing record. Gains were broad-based, led by outperformance in the information technology, consumer staples and metals & mining sectors.
At the close in Sydney the benchmark index reached its latest milestone after a session dominated by strong sectoral lifts and notable individual stock moves. Market breadth favoured winners, with 697 stocks rising, 462 declining and 373 closing unchanged on the Sydney exchange.
Top performers
- ARB Corporation Ltd (ASX:ARB) was the session's best performer, jumping 14.35% - an increase of 3.07 points - to finish at 24.43.
- DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) climbed 13.62%, adding 0.41 points to close at 3.42.
- Woolworths Ltd (ASX:WOW) rose 12.02%, up 3.79 points to 35.33 in late trade, a move that also took the stock to 52-week highs.
Largest decliners
- Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX:DMP) led losses, slipping 10.80% - down 2.34 points - to 19.33 at the close.
- Viva Energy Group Ltd (ASX:VEA) fell 6.68%, a decline of 0.13 points, to end the session at 1.75.
- Monadelphous Group Ltd (ASX:MND) dropped 5.52%, losing 1.79 points to finish at 30.64.
The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, the index that measures implied volatility in S&P/ASX 200 options, declined 5.48% to 11.69, reflecting reduced option-implied volatility after the market's rise.
Commodities and FX
Across commodities, April Gold futures rose 0.69%, gaining 35.81 to trade at $5,212.11 a troy ounce. In energy markets, April crude oil increased 0.67%, up 0.44 to $66.07 a barrel, while the May Brent contract also rose 0.67%, adding 0.47 to close at $71.05 a barrel.
In currency markets, AUD/USD was unchanged at 0.71, reflecting a 0.69% figure in the session's reporting, while AUD/JPY strengthened 0.59% to 110.69. The US Dollar Index Futures eased 0.14% to 97.63.
This session combined broad sector gains with concentrated individual stock moves, pushing the S&P/ASX 200 to a fresh closing high while volatility measures and commodity prices moved modestly.