The S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) finished the week off in style, rising 1.1%.
Here's a quick recap:
- S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) up 1%
- ALL ORDINARIES (Index: ^AXAO) (ASX: XAO) up 1%
- AUD/USD at US 70.08 cents
- Iron Ore at US$41.29 according to The Metal Bulletin
- Gold at US$1,101.04 an ounce
- Brent oil at US$29.56 a barrel – up 6%
The ASX rallied following mostly positive leads from international markets overnight, which were in turn boosted by resilience in commodity prices. Oil futures rose 6% to $US29.56 a barrel despite expectations of further falls, leading markets higher.
After a tumultuous few weeks, shares of BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) lead the ASX higher, rising 7.4%. Shares of fellow energy companies Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Karoon Gas Australia Limited (ASX: KAR) rallied 10%.
Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE) and Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL) issued trading updates to the market and rose 17% and 11.6%, respectively.
At the other end of the spectrum, Incitec Pivot Ltd (ASX: IPL) fell 8.6% while UGL Limited (ASX: UGL) fell 4%.
Here are Friday's top stories:
- Why the Treasury Wine Estates Ltd share price soared 12% today
- Are Santos Ltd shares set to run out of gas?
- Why the BHP Billiton Limited share price exploded today
- ResMed Inc. investors wake up to its big potential on quarterly results
- Australia and New Zealand Banking Group predicted to slash dividend
- Medibank Private Ltd upgrades profit forecast: Should you buy?
