Title: Australia stocks lower at close of trade; S&P/ASX 200 down 0.16%

May 04, 2022 03:45AM ET

By: AnalysisWatch

Australian shares were down after the close Wednesday as losses in the A-REITs, metals and mining, and consumer cyclical sectors led stocks lower.

At the close in Sydney, the S & P/ASX 200 was down 0.16%.

Hub24 Ltd. was the best performer in the S&P/ASX 200, gaining 3.89%, or 0.93 points, to close at 24.83.

Meanwhile, Orora Ltd. gained 3.37%, or 0.13 points, to close at 3.99 and Virgin Money PLC rose 3.01%, or 0.09 points, to 3.08 in late trading.

ARB Corporation Ltd. was the worst performer, falling 11.18%, or 4.23 points, to close at 33.61. Zip Co Ltd. fell 10.82%, or 0.13 points, to 1.03, while Costa Group Holdings Ltd. dropped 6.86%, or 0.21 points, to 2.85.

On the Sydney Stock Exchange, falling shares outweighed rising ones by 1060 to 452, and 340 closed unchanged.

ARB Corporation Ltd. shares fell to a 52-week low, losing 11.18%, or 4.23 to 33.61.

The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, decreased 2.08% to 16.93.

Gold futures for June delivery rose 0.03%, or 0.51, to $1,871.11 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, crude oil for June delivery rose 2.94%, or 3.01, to $105.42 a barrel, while the July Brent oil contract gained 2.80%, or 2.94, to $107.91 a barrel.

The AUD/USD rate remained unchanged at 0.19% to 0.71, while the AUD/JPY rate rose 0.22% to 92.50.

Futures on the US dollar index fell 0.02% to 103.48.