The S&P/ASX 200 (INDEX:^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) closed 0.3% lower on Thursday.
Worst affected by the selloff was the BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) share price and South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) share price, which fell 5% and 4.6%, respectively.
Here's a quick recap:
- S&P/ASX 200 lower at 5,741 points
- ALL ORDINARIES (Index: ^AXAO) (ASX: XAO) flat at 5,780 points
- Australian Dollar (A$) (AUDUSD) at US 75.14 cents
- Iron Ore at US$87.19 a tonne, according to the Metal Bulletin
- Gold at US$1,204.00 an ounce
- WTI Crude oil at US$50.21 a barrel
In the past 24 hours, the Australian Dollar, iron ore, gold and crude oil all fell, taking mining shares along for the ride. In addition to BHP and South32, shares of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX: FMG) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) were among the worst performers.
Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) and copper miner OZ minerals Limited (ASX: OZL) also fell deeply into the red, ending 4.3% and 4.2% lower, respectively.
Meanwhile, Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB) and Tatts Group Limited (ASX: TTS) pushed higher, finishing the day up 5% and 2.6%, respectively. Qube did not release any material news. However, Tatts shareholders appear to be applauding some news that the ACCC will undertake further investigation into its proposed merger with Tabcorp Holdings Limited (ASX: TAH).
The ACCC said it was a complex deal from a competition perspective, but it noted:
"The ACCC's preliminary view is that the proposed merger is likely to substantially lessen competition in the supply of monitoring and other services to pokies venues in Queensland."
In response, Tabcorp has told the ACCC it will divest its Queensland electronic gaming machine monitoring business.
The competition watchdog, which encourages high levels of competition in key markets, is also taking a closer look at the combined group's market power with regards to its television wagering business.
Here are Thursday's top stories:
