Australian equities ended the trading day on a positive note on Thursday, with the S&P/ASX 200 rising 0.51% to close at a new record. Sector strength was concentrated in information technology, consumer staples and telecoms services, which collectively helped lift the benchmark into fresh highs at the Sydney close.
The session’s largest percentage winners on the S&P/ASX 200 included Megaport Ltd (ASX:MP1), which climbed 13.58% - up 1.10 points to finish at 9.20. Biotech-linked Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:TLX) added 11.09% - gaining 1.02 points to end the day at 10.22. Health care group Ramsay Health Care Ltd (ASX:RHC) recorded a 10.09% advance - up 3.85 points to 42.02 in late trade.
At the same time, a number of prominent names posted notable declines. Worley Ltd (ASX:WOR) fell 9.89% - a decrease of 1.29 points to close at 11.75. Coal miner Yancoal Australia Ltd (ASX:YAL) retreated 8.77% - down 0.54 points to 5.62. Airline operator Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX:QAN) slipped 8.45% - losing 0.90 points to trade at 9.75 at the close.
Market breadth was modestly positive: rising issues outnumbered decliners on the Sydney Stock Exchange by 619 to 573, while 363 stocks finished unchanged. Notably, shares of Ramsay Health Care reached 52-week highs, moving up 10.09% or 3.85 to a closing price of 42.02.
Volatility, as measured by the S&P/ASX 200 VIX, was slightly lower, down 1.13% to 11.56 by the end of trading. In commodities, Gold Futures for April delivery eased 0.19% - down 10.10 to $5,216.10 a troy ounce. Crude oil for April delivery rose 0.34% - up 0.22 to hit $65.64 a barrel, while the May Brent oil contract increased 0.35% - gaining 0.25 to trade at $70.94 a barrel.
Currency movements were modest. AUD/USD was unchanged 0.14% at 0.71, and AUD/JPY fell 0.18% to 111.18. The US Dollar Index Futures declined 0.12% to 97.51 by the close.
These closing-level moves reflect a market session where sector leadership and large single-stock swings combined to push the benchmark to a new high, while commodity and currency benchmarks showed only small shifts by the end of the day.