Title: Australia stocks lower at close of trade; S&P/ASX 200 down 0.23%

Jun 22, 2022 03:45AM ET

By: AnalysisWatch

Australian shares traded lower after the close on Wednesday as losses in the IT, consumer cyclical and A-REIT sectors led stocks lower.

At the close in Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.23%.

Among the best performers on the S&P/ASX 200 were Iris Ltd , which rose 4.51% or 0.47 points to trade at 10.89 at the close. APA Group gained 4.20 per cent or 0.45 points to close at 11.16, while Rea Group Ltd gained 3.89 per cent or 3.86 points to 103.20 in late trading.

St Barbara Ltd was the worst performer, falling 18.14% or 0.21 points to close at 0.93. Zip Co Ltd fell 11.43% or 0.06 points to close at 0.47, and Blackmore's Ltd dropped 8.90% or 6.38 points to 65.31.

On the Sydney Stock Exchange, falling shares outweighed rising ones by 911 to 562, while 354 ended unchanged.

St Barbara Ltd shares fell to a 5-year low, down 18.14% or 0.21 to 0.93. Zip Co Ltd shares fell to a 5-year low, down 11.43% or 0.06 to 0.47. Blackmore's Ltd shares fell to a 52-week low, down 8.90% or 6.38 to 65.31.

The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, fell 2.28% to 20.21.

Gold futures for August delivery fell 0.45% or 8.35 to $1,830.45 per troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodity trading, crude oil for August delivery fell 5.30%, or 5.80, to $103.72 a barrel, while the August Brent oil contract fell 4.84%, or 5.55, to $109.10 a barrel.

AUD/USD fell 1.03% to 0.69, while AUD/JPY fell 1.29% to 93.96.

US dollar index futures rose 0.31% to 104.53.