Australia's benchmark share index ended the trading day in negative territory on Monday as losses in the information technology, healthcare and A-REITs sectors pushed the market lower.
At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.61%.
The session's strongest performers were dominated by a small group of gainers. Reece Ltd (ASX:REH) topped the list, finishing up 12.98% - gaining 1.81 points to close at 15.75. Guzman Y Gomez Ltd (ASX:GYG) climbed 9.13%, or 1.60 points, to end at 19.13. Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX:RMS) added 8.87% - an increase of 0.40 points - to trade at 4.91 at the close.
In contrast, several stocks recorded sharp declines. Megaport Ltd (ASX:MP1) led the laggards, tumbling 17.31% or 1.67 points to finish at 7.98. Perenti Global Ltd (ASX:PRN) fell 13.48% - down 0.38 points - to close at 2.44. Austal Ltd (ASX:ASB) was 10.48% weaker, slipping 0.66 points to 5.64 by the end of trading.
Decliners outnumbered advancers on the Sydney exchange, with 672 stocks falling versus 540 that advanced, while 348 issues were unchanged.
Megaport's closing price represented a 52-week low for the company, with the share price losing 17.31% or 1.67 to 7.98 at the close.
Market volatility showed an uptick. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, a gauge of implied volatility for S&P/ASX 200 options, rose 7.08% to 12.67.
Commodities and currencies were mixed at the close. Gold futures for April delivery were higher, up 1.94% or 98.71 to $5,179.61 a troy ounce. Crude oil for April delivery slipped 1.14% or 0.76 to $65.72 a barrel, while the May Brent contract declined 1.02% or 0.73 to trade at $70.57 a barrel.
On the currency front, AUD/USD was effectively unchanged - moving 0.18% to 0.71 - while AUD/JPY fell 0.56% to 109.23. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.31% at 97.43.
Overall, the trading day featured a narrow group of notable rallies amid broader sector weakness, with investors seeing higher implied volatility and differing signals from commodity and currency markets.