Australian shares ended the trading day in Sydney with a small gain on Tuesday, as the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 inched higher to close at a new one-month peak.
Index performance - At the close, the S&P/ASX 200 recorded a 0.04% increase, finishing the session at 8,917.70. The advance marked a one-month high for the index.
Top and bottom performers - Among individual stocks, Life360 Inc (ASX:360) was the session's strongest performer, rising 4.39% or 0.97 points to end at 23.05. Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX:TPW) climbed 3.91% or 0.21 points to 5.58, while Tuas Ltd (ASX:TUA) added 3.82% or 0.10 points to close at 2.72.
On the downside, IperionX Limited (ASX:IPX) led decliners, falling 12.13% or 0.66 points to finish at 4.78. Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX:LTR) declined 8.26% or 0.19 points to 2.06, and Alcoa Corp DRC (ASX:AAI) slipped 7.27% or 7.06 points to end at 90.02.
Market breadth and volatility - Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the Sydney exchange, with 654 stocks falling, 516 advancing and 401 unchanged. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, a gauge of implied volatility for options on the S&P/ASX 200, was up 0.37% to 12.43.
Commodities and energy - In commodity markets, August gold futures were down 0.31% or 13.35 to $4,338.25 a troy ounce. Crude oil for July delivery fell 0.38% or 0.31 to $80.44 a barrel, while the August Brent contract declined 0.61% or 0.51 to trade at $82.66 a barrel.
Foreign exchange and dollar - Currency moves were modest: AUD/USD was reported as unchanged 0.31% to 0.71, while AUD/JPY fell 0.36% to 112.97. The US Dollar Index futures were noted as up 0.15% at 99.52.
Conclusion - The session closed with a narrowly higher benchmark supported by gains in select sectors, but breadth showed more names falling than rising and volatility edged up slightly. Individual stock moves included substantial gains for several small- and mid-cap names and heavy falls for a set of resources companies.
Data snapshot
- S&P/ASX 200: +0.04% to 8,917.70
- S&P/ASX 200 VIX: +0.37% to 12.43
- Gold (Aug): -0.31% to $4,338.25 per troy ounce
- Crude Oil (Jul): -0.38% to $80.44 per barrel
- Brent (Aug): -0.61% to $82.66 per barrel
- AUD/USD: unchanged 0.31% to 0.71