Title: Australia stocks higher at close of trade; S&P/ASX 200 up 1.08%

Feb 16, 2022 02:45 AM ET

By: AnalysisWatch

Australian stocks rose after the close on Wednesday as shares rose in the healthcare, A-REITs, and consumer goods sectors.

At the close of trading in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 index was up 1.08%.

Treasury Wine Estates Ltd. was the best performing stock in the S& P/ASX 200 index during the session, rising 11.67%, or 1,230 points, to close trading at 11,770. Meanwhile, Vicinity Centres Re Ltd. added 11.01%, or 0.185 points, to end at 1.865, and Nearmap Ltd. rose 8.57%, or 0.105 points, to close trading at 1.330.

Netwealth Group Ltd was the worst performer during the session, falling 9.76%, or 1.45 points, to close trading at 13.40 points. Hub24 Ltd dropped 8.04%, or 2.05 points, to close at 23.44 points, and EML Payments Ltd fell 3.97%, or 0.12 points, to close at 2.90 points.

On the Sydney Stock Exchange, advancing shares outnumbered declining ones by 946 to 450, and 385 ended unchanged.

Vicinity Centers Re Ltd shares increased 11.01%, or 0.185 points, to 1.865 points, a 52-week high.

The S&P/ASX 200 VIX index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, fell 13.68% to 15.116 points.

Gold futures for April delivery rose 0.03%, or $0.60, to $1,856.80 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, crude oil for March delivery rose 0.49%, or 0.45%, to trade at $92.52 per barrel, while the April Brent crude oil contract rose 0.45%, or 0.42%, to trade at $93.70 per barrel.

The AUD/USD currency pair gained 0.29% to 0.7172, while the AUD/JPY currency pair strengthened 0.33% to 82.95.

Among US dollar index futures, 0.13% fell to 95.870.