Australian equities closed in positive territory on Tuesday, with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 finishing the session up 0.19% at the Sydney close. Market strength was concentrated in the IT, Healthcare and Gold sectors, which led gains across the index.
At the individual stock level, the day's top performers included DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO), which climbed 7.30% - an increase of 0.23 points - to finish at 3.38. Zip Co Ltd (ASX:ZIP) rose 6.48%, gaining 0.16 points to close at 2.63, and Austal Ltd (ASX:ASB) advanced 5.66% or 0.35 points to end the session at 6.53.
On the downside, several notable falls pushed certain names to fresh lows. Steadfast Group Ltd (ASX:SDF) was the weakest name of the day, sliding 9.15% or 0.46 points to close at 4.51, a level the report notes as a three-year low. AUB Group Ltd (ASX:AUB) declined 5.93%, a drop of 1.64 points to 26.00, marking a 52-week low for the stock. Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX:IAG) also weakened, down 5.80% or 0.45 points to finish at 7.31, another 52-week low.
Market breadth in Sydney skewed positive, with 722 stocks rising versus 433 that fell, while 353 issues finished unchanged.
Measures of investor uncertainty showed a modest uptick. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which gauges implied volatility in S&P/ASX 200 options, increased 1.38% to reach 12.39 by the close.
Commodities moved lower during the session. Gold futures for April delivery fell 0.80%, a decline of 40.76, to settle at $5,038.64 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for March delivery eased 0.40% or 0.26 to trade at $64.10 a barrel, while the April Brent contract dipped 0.33% or 0.23 to $68.81 a barrel.
On the currency front, AUD/USD was reported as unchanged 0.28% at 0.71, while AUD/JPY moved lower by 0.80% to 109.70. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.05% at 96.74.
Overall, the session combined selective stock-level strength in technology, healthcare and gold-related names with notable weakness among several insurance and broker-group stocks. Volatility and commodity changes were modest and accompanied by small moves in major currency pairs and dollar futures.