Australia Stocks Close Lower; S&P/ASX 200 Down 0.69%

Australia’s stock market experienced a downturn after the market closed on Monday, primarily driven by losses in various sectors.

By the end of trading in Sydney, the market had declined by 0.69%.

Among the session’s standout performers, Appen Ltd saw an impressive gain of 18.75%, rising 0.33 points to close at 2.09. Other notable increases included Omni Bridgeway Ltd, which climbed 8.16% or 0.08 points to finish at 1.06, and Healius Ltd, which was up 7.45% or 0.12 points to reach 1.73 by close.

Conversely, the worst-performing stocks included Webjet Ltd, which dropped 10.69% or 0.88 points, closing at 7.35. Spark New Zealand Ltd fell by 3.32% or 0.10 points, winding up at 2.91, while Cromwell Property Group decreased by 3.53% or 0.02 points to finish at 0.41.

In total, declining stocks outnumbered those that advanced on the Sydney Stock Exchange, with 600 losses compared to 488 gains, while 485 stocks remained unchanged.

Appen Ltd’s shares reached a 52-week high with a rise of 18.75% to 2.09. In contrast, Spark New Zealand Ltd’s shares hit a 5-year low after falling 3.32% to 2.91.

The implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options saw an increase, rising by 1.91% to 11.90.

In commodities, December gold futures were up by 0.27%, reaching $2,653.40 per troy ounce. In oil markets, November crude oil rose 0.65% to $71.46 per barrel, while December Brent crude increased by 0.61% to trade at $74.14 per barrel.

On the currency front, the AUD/USD pair remained steady at 0.68, while AUD/JPY rose by 0.33% to 98.26. The US Dollar Index Futures also saw a slight increase, up 0.03% at 100.46.