Dec 25, 2023: At the closing bell in Sydney on Monday, Australian stocks faced a downturn, primarily led by declines in the Consumer Staples, Industrials, and Utilities sectors, causing the S&P/ASX 200 to slip by 0.03%.
Austal Ltd (ASX:ASB) emerged as one of the session’s top performers on the S&P/ASX 200, climbing by 7.20% or 0.13 points to reach 1.86 at the close. Pointsbet Holdings Ltd (ASX:PBH) followed suit, adding 6.18% or 0.06 points to finish at 0.94, while Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX:PLS) gained 2.96% or 0.11 points, closing at 3.83 in late trade.
However, Omni Bridgeway Ltd (ASX:OBL) experienced a decline, falling by 4.40% or 0.06 points to trade at 1.30 at the session’s end. Abacus Property Group (ASX:ABG) also faced a downturn, dropping 3.73% or 0.05 points to end at 1.16, and St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM) declined by 2.44% or 0.01 points, closing at 0.20.
On the Sydney Stock Exchange, there were 16 rising stocks against 9 declining ones, while 31 ended unchanged.
Omni Bridgeway Ltd (ASX:OBL) observed a dip, reaching a 5-year low with a 4.40% or 0.06-point decrease, settling at 1.30.
The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, measuring the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, saw a 2.74% decline, reaching 9.80.
In the commodities market, Gold Futures for February delivery rose by 0.64% or 13.20 to $2,064.50 per troy ounce. Crude oil for February delivery decreased by 0.54% or 0.40, hitting $73.49 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract declined by 0.26% or 0.21, trading at $78.80 a barrel.
The AUD/USD pair remained unchanged at 0.68%, while AUD/JPY dropped by 0.24% to 96.71.
The US Dollar Index Futures experienced a 0.12% decline, settling at 101.36.