The major banks helped the ASX 200 to a strong rise today, led by Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ASX: ANZ) share price which gained 3.9%.
Here's a quick recap:
- S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) up 0.8% to 5732 points
- ALL ORDINARIES (Index: ^AXAO) (ASX: XAO) up 0.7% to 5779 points
- AUD/USD at US 79.31 cents
- Iron Ore at US$68.84 a tonne, according to the Metal Bulletin
- Gold at US$1,239.34 an ounce
- Brent oil at US$48.64 a barrel
The BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) share price slipped 1.1% today after the company delivered an operational review for the year ended 30 June 2017. Although its iron ore production levels rose 4%, its petroleum production slipped 13%.
The Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) share price also slipped 0.7%, while the Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) share price rose 0.4%.
Elsewhere in the resources space, the gold miners once again struggled to gain traction. The St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) share price was one of the worst performers on the ASX 200, losing 6%. The Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) share price dropped 3.8%.
The major banks produced very strong gains today. In addition to ANZ's rise, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price gained 3%, the National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB) share price rose 3.1%, and the Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price lifted 3.8%.
Meanwhile, the Cimic Group Ltd (ASX: CIM) share price rose 5.8%, while Wellard Ltd (ASX: WLD) dropped 13.8%.
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