Feb 15 2024: Australia’s stock market witnessed a significant surge as Thursday’s trading session concluded, with notable gains observed in the IT, A-REITs, and Consumer Discretionary sectors.
At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 index posted a robust increase of 0.77%.
Leading the charge among top performers on the S&P/ASX 200 was Altium Ltd (ASX: ALU), which soared by an impressive 28.91% or 14.82 points to reach 66.08 by session end. Additionally, Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) rose by 10.17%, adding 0.03 points to close at 0.33, while Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB) saw an increase of 9.09% or 0.03 points, reaching 0.30 in late trading.
Conversely, the session witnessed declines for certain stocks, notably Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME), which dropped by 13.15% or 14.21 points to settle at 93.88 by close. Idp Education Ltd (ASX: IEL) saw a decrease of 8.58% or 1.88 points, closing at 20.04, while Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) experienced a decline of 5.86% or 0.44 points, reaching 7.07.
The Sydney Stock Exchange reflected a positive trend, with 620 stocks registering gains, 561 declining, and 333 remaining unchanged.
Altium Ltd (ASX: ALU) achieved record highs during the session, surging by 28.91% or 14.82 points to reach 66.08.
The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, indicating the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, witnessed a decrease of 3.13% to 11.50.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for April delivery experienced a marginal decline of 0.01% or 0.25, settling at $2,004.05 per troy ounce. Meanwhile, Crude oil for delivery in March fell by 0.43% or 0.33, hitting $76.31 per barrel, and the April Brent oil contract decreased by 0.38% or 0.31, trading at $81.29 per barrel.