Best and worst stocks on the ASX today

ASX closes up 0.4%, its third consecutive rise

Mike King

Mike King is a Fool.com.au Investment Analyst and Writer. He caught the investing bug more than a decade ago, at a time when the U.S. had invaded Iraq and fear reigned in the markets. His initial success as the markets took off encouraged his passion and thirst for knowledge. With 13 years behind him at one of Australia's largest domestic banks, Mike's passion for stocks led him to join a boutique funds management firm, where he stayed for four years. A seven-year stint in equity research at one of the largest investment banks in the world followed that, giving Mike a thirst to pursue his passion further. Mike holds a Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment and a Graduate Certificate in Financial Planning. His passion is to help retail investors invest better, and that passion was one of his primary reasons for joining The Motley Fool Australia in late 2011. Mike has written thousands of articles since joining, including for Fairfax Media, Yahoo!7, Ninemsn and has also appeared on ABC's The Business. You can see all of Mikes' holdings here

Published July 24, 2013 4:59 pm AEST

The S&P / ASX 200 Index (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) has closed higher for the third day in a row. The market ended up 0.4% at 5,035.1. Materials and telecommunications stocks rose 1.1%, while the consumer discretionary sector fell 0.8% and industrials closed 0.4% down. With mixed Consumer Price Index (CPI) data out today, investors still have no better idea whether the Reserve Bank will cut interest rates next month.

Here are the top five best performing stocks in the index.

Energy World Corporation (ASX:EWC) climbed 12.7% to 62 cents
Discovery Metals Group (ASX:DML) added 12.5% to 18 cents
Resolute Mining (ASX:RSG) added 9.3% to finish at 82 cents
Atlas Iron Limited (ASX:AGO) rose 9% to 91 cents
Medusa Mining Limited (ASX:MML) closed up 6.6% at $2.27.

These stocks were the losers on the day.

Mineral Deposits Limited (ASX:MDL) fell 4.6% to $2.08
Breville Group (ASX:BRG) dropped 4% to $7.48
United Group (ASX:UGL) ended down 3.8% at $7.70
Magellan Financial Group (ASX:MFG) closed down 3.6% at $11.18
Aurora Oil and Gas (ASX:AUT) lost 3.5% to $3.36.

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Motley Fool writer/analyst Mike King doesn't own shares in any companies mentioned.

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