Australia's S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO)(ASX: XJO) and ALL ORDINARIES (Index: ^AXAO) (ASX: XAO) indices finished lower on Wednesday.
Here's a quick recap of the Aussie market:
- S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) down 1.6%
- ALL ORDINARIES (Index: ^AXAO) (ASX: XAO) down 1.5%
- AUD/USD at US 75.61 cents
- Gold at US$1,244 an ounce, down 0.2%
- Oil at US$43.36 a barrel, down 2.4%
Leading the market lower today was shares of BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP), which fell 3.75% following an overnight selloff in oil prices.
QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE) shares fell more than 10% after the global insurer released a trading update. It said higher claims from its Emerging Markets businesses had negatively impacted the company's results.
Retail Food Group Limited (ASX: RFG) reported a profit downgrade. Shares in the owner of Gloria Jeans, Pizza Capers and much more fell more than 10%.
National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB) shares and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) shares fell 2.9%.
At the other end of the ASX's performance table was shares of Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH), which rose more than 3%.
Further down the market, NIB Holdings Limited (ASX: NHF) and Infratil Ltd. (ASX: IFT) were two of the few mid-cap ASX shares ending more than 1% higher.
Here are today's top stories:
