S&P/ASX 200 sinks: 10 stocks you should have been watching

S&P/ASX 200 closes down 0.8%

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 August 31, 2016 4:48 pm AEST

The S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) tumbled 0.8% on Wednesday, following a dip in commodity prices overnight as the final day of reporting season closes.

Here's a quick recap:

S&P/ASX 200 down 0.8% to 5,433 points
ALL ORDINARIES (Index: ^AXAO) (ASX: XAO) down 0.8% to 5529.40 points
AUD/USD at US 75.12 cents – down slightly
Iron Ore at US$59.31 a tonne, according to the Metal Bulletin
Gold down 0.8% to US$1,313.20 an ounce
Brent crude oil dropped 1.8% to US$48.39 a barrel

Echoing the falls in commodities South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) and BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) fell 3.8% and 3.2% respectively to $1.92 and $20.43.

In the top 200, broadcaster Southern Cross Media Group Ltd (ASX: SXL) was the biggest riser gaining 4.8% to $1.515, while gold miner St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) was the biggest loser, sinking 6.9% to $2.83.

Bargain hunters jumped into Surfstitch Group Ltd (ASX: SRF) with the share price soaring more than 23% to 13 cents, following yesterday's 56% fall to 10 cents. Vita Group Limited (ASX: VTG) roared 10.5% higher to $4.84 following a strong profit result.

Under fire law firm Slater & Gordon Limited (ASX: SGH) saw its share price crunched down 11.6% to 42 cents, while Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ASX: ANZ) posted a gain of 1.4% to $26.90, leading the gains on the ASX 20.

Here are today's top stories:

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