Market Wrap: Aus shares close flat

Market Reports

It was certainly a topsy turvy day for the Australian share market today; it openned in positive territory, retreated into the red before lunch, but then found some momentum in afternoon trade and ended up closing the day flat. The star performer today was Blackmores which broke records and exceeded $220 per share, but it wasn’t such a good day for the financials and healthcare space, with the big banks the biggest drag on the index. 
 
The S&P/ASX 200 index closed two points up at 5,109. 
 
The value of trades was $3.5 billion on volume of 579 million shares at the close of trade. The top three stocks by value were Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX:CBA), ANZ Banking Group (ASX:ANZ) and Westpac Banking Corporation (ASX:WBC).
 
On the futures market the SPI is up 13 points.
 
Company news

Crown Resorts (ASX:CWN) has announced that James Packer has resigned as a director of the company effective immediately. Mr Packer said in a statement that he intends to devote his energies into a number of key development projects in Sydney, Melbourne and Las Vegas as well as Crown’s online platforms. Shares in Crown closed 4.14 per cent higher at $12.08. 
 
Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) has boosted its presence in the online travel sector by securing a 70 per cent interest in the BYOjet.com business. BYOjet.com is an online travel agency that specializes in low cost airfares and turns over in the order of $100 million per year. Shares in Flight Centre closed down 0.51 per cent at $37.00. 
 
Lucapa Diamond Company Limited (ASX:LOM) says they have now sold over 10,000 carats worth of diamonds from its Lulo Diamond Project in Angola, Africa. 
 
Cedar Woods Properties Limited (ASX:CWP) has paid $24.6 million for a 3.81 hectare site 5km north of the Brisbane CBD.  
 
Telstra Corporation Limited (ASX:TLS) and NBN have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that Telstra will support the NBN network build in areas currently covered by the HFC footprint. 
 
Evolution Mining (ASX:EVN) has signed an umbrella agreement worth $150 million with SRG Limited (ASX:SRG).
 
Best and worst performers

The best performing sector was Energy adding 1 per cent to close at 7,559. The worst performing sector was Healthcare, losing 0.9 per cent to close at 19,367 points.
 
The best performing stock in the S&P/ASX 200 was Liquefied Natural Gas, rising 8.76 per cent to close at $0.74 Shares in Slater and Gordon and Ten Network also closed higher.
 
The worst performing stock was Austal, dropping 5.45 per cent to close at $1.48. Shares in Sigma Pharmaceuticals and Whitehaven Coal also closed lower. 

IPOs

Wonhe Multimedia Commerce Limited (ASX:WMC) started trading today. The computer software and hardware company floated with an issue price of $0.20, opened at $0.20 and closed at $0.21.    

Commodities and the dollar

Gold is trading at $US1,069 an ounce.
Light crude is $0.44 cents lower at $US35.83 a barrel.
The Australian dollar is buying $US0.7163.
 
 
 

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