Title: Australia stocks higher at close of trade; S&P/ASX 200 up 0.49%

Mar 03, 2022 02:45AM ET

By: AnalysisWatch

Australian shares rose after the close on Thursday as gains in the commodities, metals, mining, and materials sectors drove stocks higher.

At the close in Sydney, the S & P/ASX 200 was up 0.49%.

Pointsbet Holdings Ltd. was the best performer in the S & P/ASX 200, gaining 18.21%, or 0.67 points, to close at 4.35. Meanwhile, Whitehaven Coal Ltd. gained 10.61%, or 0.38 points, to close at 3.96, while Pilbara Minerals Ltd. gained 5.34%, or 0.15 points, to close at 2.96 in late trading.

Monadelphous Group Ltd was the worst performer, falling 7.30% or 0.87 points to close at 11.04. 6.36%, or 0.08 points, to 1.11, and Platinum Asset Management Ltd. dropped 5.17%, or 0.12 points, to 2.20.

On the Sydney Stock Exchange, rising shares outweighed falling ones by 810 to 649, and 362 ended unchanged.

Whitehaven Coal Ltd shares rose to a 52-week high, gaining 10.61%, or 0.38, to 3.96, while Platinum Asset Management Ltd shares fell to an all-time low, dropping 5.17%, or 0.12, to 2.20.

The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures implied volatility in S&P/ASX 200 options, dropped 2.74% to 16.34.

Gold futures for April delivery rose 0.49%, or 9.35, to $1,931.65 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodity trading, crude oil for April delivery rose 4.86%, or 5.38, to $115.98 a barrel, while the May contract for Brent oil gained 5.52%, or 6.23, to $119.16 a barrel.

The AUD/USD exchange rate was unchanged at 0.73, while AUD/JPY rose 0.47% to 84.67.

97.50. US dollar index futures rose 0.09% to 97.50.