Australian shares finished the session higher on Friday, propelled primarily by outperformance in the information technology, metals & mining and broader resources sectors. At the Sydney close the S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.60%.
Among the top performers on the index, Objective Corp Ltd (ASX:OCL) led gains, climbing 5.35% to close at 6.70. Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX:LTR) advanced 5.24% to end at 1.21, while Xero Ltd (ASX:XRO) rose 4.89% to finish the day at 85.73.
Conversely, a number of stocks registered sharp losses. PEXA Group Ltd (ASX:PXA) fell 18.05% to 6.63, marking an all-time low for the stock. Wam Capital Ltd (ASX:WAM) declined 17.88% to 1.24, reaching a five-year low at the close. Tuas Ltd (ASX:TUA) moved lower by 5.05% to 2.07.
Market breadth on the Sydney Stock Exchange was tilted toward decliners: 567 stocks fell while 535 advanced, and 397 were unchanged.
Volatility as measured by the S&P/ASX 200 VIX eased during the session, down 4.36% to 10.28, signaling a modest reduction in implied options volatility for the index.
Commodities also moved lower in late trade. December gold futures slipped 0.57%, or 26.79, to trade at 4,637.21 per troy ounce. Energy contracts were softer with October crude oil down 0.67% to 82.97 a barrel and November Brent falling 0.50% to 88.08 a barrel.
Foreign exchange moves were subdued. The Australian dollar was little changed against the US dollar, with AUD/USD effectively flat around 0.72, while AUD/JPY ticked up 0.12% to 114.83. US Dollar Index futures recorded a marginal increase of 0.02%, trading near 99.11.
The session featured sizeable stock-specific moves that influenced headline performance: a cluster of strong gains in IT and mining names supported the index, while outsized declines in a few capital markets and investment companies weighed on broader sentiment.
Market snapshot
- S&P/ASX 200: +0.60%
- Top gainers: OCL +5.35%, LTR +5.24%, XRO +4.89%
- Largest decliners: PXA -18.05%, WAM -17.88%, TUA -5.05%
- Decliners vs advancers: 567 vs 535; unchanged: 397
- S&P/ASX 200 VIX: -4.36% to 10.28