It has been a positive start to the trading week for the Australian share market, opening in the black and staying there for the remainder of the session, closing 0.48 per cent higher. The materials space was the star performer this session after the price of iron ore continued to surge, with Chinese futures markets showing an 8 per cent rise in the commodity at one point. We’ve also seen modest gains in all of the big four banks of between 0.3 and 0.8 per cent, with Westpac
(ASX:WBC) leading the charge today.
At the closing bell the S&P/ASX 200 index closed 27 points up to finish at 5,748.
The value of trades was $3.5 billion on volume of 575 million shares at the close of trade. The top three stocks by value were BHP Billiton Limited
(ASX:BHP), ANZ Banking Group
(ASX:ANZ) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia
(ASX:CBA).
On the futures market the SPI is 14 points up.
Company newsWoolworths Limited
(ASX:WOW) has appointed Claire Peters to its top job of Managing Director. Ms Peters currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Tesco in Thailand and will assume her new role in July. She is also the first woman to be appointed in the MD role at the supermarket giant. Shares in Woolworths closed 0.37 per cent up at $24.47.
Liver cancer treatment company, Sirtex Medical Limited
(ASX:SRX), has terminated the employment of its CEO, Gilman Wong.
Primary Health Care Limited
(ASX:PRY) has announced its CEO and Managing Director Peter Gregg has resigned.
Suncorp Group Limited
(ASX:SUN) has announced its Chief Transformation Officer Clayton Herbert will leave the bank this month.
Best and worst performersThe best performing sector was Materials adding 1.4 per cent to close at 10,193. The worst performing sector was Energy, losing 0.3 per cent to close at 9,344 points.
The best performing stock in the S&P/ASX 200 was Nanosonics
(ASX:NAN), rising 7.48 per cent to close at $3.16. Shares in Duet Group
(ASX:DUE) and Orocobre
(ASX:ORE) also closed higher.
The worst performing stock was Primary Health Care
(ASX:PRY), dropping 2.77 per cent to close at $3.86. Shares in Independence Group
(ASX:IGO) and Whitehaven Coal
(ASX:WHC) also closed lower.
Commodities and the dollarGold is trading at $US1,204 an ounce.
Light crude is $0.51 lower at $US53.32 a barrel.
The Australian dollar is buying $US0.7478.
