Australian equities finished lower on Thursday, with the S&P/ASX 200 shedding 1.65% at the close in Sydney to reach a new three-month trough.
The session was dominated by sector weakness in Gold, Metals & Mining and Materials, which collectively pressured the broader index. Market breadth skewed heavily to the downside, with falling stocks outnumbering advancers by 1,036 to 181 and 288 names finishing unchanged on the Sydney bourse.
Top and bottom movers
Among index components, the standout advance came from Viva Energy Group Ltd (ASX:VEA), which climbed 13.98% or 0.29 points to close at 2.40. Yancoal Australia Ltd (ASX:YAL) added 6.91% or 0.52 points to finish at 8.04, and Woodside Energy Ltd (ASX:WDS) rose 6.76% or 2.13 points to end the day at 33.56.
On the downside, Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX:WGX) led losses, sliding 12.56% or 0.77 points to 5.39 at the close. Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX:VAU) fell 10.61% or 0.49 points to 4.13, and IperionX Limited (ASX:IPX) declined 10.49% or 0.43 points to 3.63.
Shares in Viva Energy Group and Woodside Energy were both reported to have reached 52-week highs during the session, with Viva Energy up 13.98% to 2.40 and Woodside up 6.76% to 33.56.
Volatility and commodities
Market implied volatility, as measured by the S&P/ASX 200 VIX, rose 18.37% to 17.53, signaling an uptick in option-market implied swings for the index.
Commodity price action was mixed: Gold Futures for April delivery declined 1.00% or 48.76 to $4,847.44 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for May delivery increased 0.95% or 0.91 to $96.37 a barrel, while the May Brent contract advanced 4.10% or 4.40 to trade at $111.78 a barrel.
Currencies and dollar index
FX moves were modest: AUD/USD was unchanged 0.26% to 0.70, while AUD/JPY rose 0.11% to 112.43. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.09% at 99.96.
What this session shows
Thursday's action left the S&P/ASX 200 at a three-month low, with sector-level weakness concentrated in mining and materials. At the same time, select energy names delivered notable gains and reached yearly highs. Market-implied volatility increased markedly and key commodities diverged for the day, with gold lower and oil higher.
Data points, price moves and rankings in this report reflect official close-of-day figures reported for the Sydney session.