Title: Australia stocks higher at close of trade; S&P/ASX 200 up 1.14%

Feb 09, 2022 02:45 AM ET

By: AnalysisWatch

Australian shares rose after the close on Wednesday as gains in the IT, financial and gold sectors drove stocks higher.

At the close in Sydney, the S & P/ASX 200 was up 1.14%.

Among the best performers on the S & P/ASX, 200 were shares of Computershare Ltd, which rose 11.24%, or 2.24 points, to close at 22.17. Meanwhile, Resolute Mining Ltd gained 10.53%, or 0.030 points, to close at 0.315, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia rose 5.58%, or 5.260 points, to 99.560 in late trading.

Mineral Resources Ltd was the worst performer, falling 8.91% or 5.16 points to close at 52.72. Nanosonics Ltd fell 6.04%, or 0.29 points, to $4.51, while Bapcor Ltd fell 7.93%, or 0.56 points, to $6.50.

On the Sydney Stock Exchange, rising shares outweighed falling ones by 855 to 543, and 401 ended unchanged.

Computershare Ltd shares hit a new all-time high, up 11.24%, from 2.24 to 22.17. Nanosonics Ltd shares fell to a 52-week low, falling 6.04%, or 0.29, to 4.51.

The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, fell 11.23% to 13.907.

Gold futures for April delivery fell 0.07%, or 1.25, to $1826.65 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodity trading, crude oil for March delivery fell 0.59%, or 0.53, to $88.83 a barrel, while the April contract for Brent crude fell 0.53%, or 0.48, to $90.30 a barrel.

The AUD/USD pair rose 0.00% to 0.7146, while the AUD/JPY pair fell 0.05% to 82.50.

US dollar index futures were 0.01% higher at 95.655.