Stocks in Australia closed lower at the end of trading on Thursday, as indices dropped with losses recorded in the industrials, basic materials, and information technology sectors.
At the close of trading in Sydney, the ASX 200 index lost 0.24%.
Among the leading stocks in the ASX 200 today, St. Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM) rose by 4.17%, or 0.01 points, closing at 0.25. Similarly, Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX:PME) continued to rise, gaining 3.86%, or 10.00 points, to close at 269.38. Meanwhile, Northern Star Resources (ASX:NST) increased by 2.93%, or 0.47 points, to finish at 16.53.
On the weaker side, Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX:WGX) closed down by 13.65%, or 0.40 points, trading at 2.53. Appen Ltd (ASX:APX) dropped by 7.26%, or 0.22 points, to settle at 2.81, while Mesoblast Ltd (ASX:MSB) fell by 5.07%, or 0.15 points, closing at 2.81.
The number of declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Sydney Stock Exchange, with 606 losers compared to 444 gainers, while 460 stocks remained unchanged.
Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX:PME) reached an all-time high, continuing its rise by 3.86%, or 10.00 points, to 269.38.
The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of options on the ASX 200 index, fell by 0.36% to close at 10.71.
Gold futures contracts for February delivery rose by 0.18%, or 4.74, to close at $2,677.14 per ounce. Meanwhile, WTI crude oil futures for February delivery dropped by 0.22%, or 0.16, to reach $73.16 per barrel. Brent oil futures for March delivery also fell by 0.17%, or 0.13 points, to close at $76.03 per barrel.
The AUD/USD pair remained stable at 0.05%, trading at 0.62, while the AUD/JPY pair continued its decline by 0.36%, reaching 98.06.
The US Dollar Index futures fell slightly by 0.01%, settling at 108.91.
