The local share market rocketed past 5,500 points today. In fact the market recorded its tenth daily gain out of the last eleven sessions, although it did pare back some of those gains as the day wore on.
Here's a quick recap:
- S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) up 0.4% to 5512 points
- ALL ORDINARIES (Index: ^AXAO) (ASX: XAO) up 0.4% to 5589 points
- AUD/USD at US 74.9 cents
- Iron Ore at US$55.75 a tonne, according to the Metal Bulletin
- Gold at US$1,315.98 an ounce
- Brent oil at US$47.39 a barrel
We'll start with the negatives. The gold miners were among the worst performing shares today as the price of gold continued to fall.
Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) dropped 7.9%. EVOLUTION FPO (ASX: EVN) dropped 4%. And St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) lost 9.4%, making it the worst stock on the ASX 200.
The iron ore miners fared somewhat better. Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) and Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) gained 1.1% and 1.5%. BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) shares were mostly flat.
The banks helped drive the market higher, as well. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ASX: ANZ) was the best of the majors, rising 0.8%, while Woolworths Limited (ASX: WOW) gained 0.6%.
Meanwhile, Mantra Group Ltd (ASX: MTR) was one of the best shares on the market today – it rose 8.1%. Nanosonics Ltd. (ASX: NAN) soared 10.2% as well.
Here are Thursday's top stories:
- Why the Nanosonics Ltd. share price is going gangbusters today
- South32 reports strong production results: Is it a buy?
- Can the Aconex Ltd share price hit $10 in 2016?
- Is it worth buying Insurance Australia Group Ltd and Medibank Private Ltd today?
- Will these blue-chip companies survive another 30 years?
- Is Metcash Limited a buy after winning ACCC approval?
- Can the Burson Group Ltd share price hit $6 in 2016?
