Investing.com – Australian shares were lower at the close on Wednesday, as losses in the , , and sectors dragged shares lower.
The index fell 0.11% at the close in Sydney.
The best performance of the session on the index came from shares of EML Payments Ltd (ASX:), which rose 5.91% correspondingly by 0.06 points, trading at 0.99 at the close of trading. Meanwhile, shares of Westgold Resources Limited (ASX:) added 3.29%, or 0.08 points, ending the day at 2.36, and they Mirvac Group (ASX:), which gained 3.08% or 0.06 points at the close of trading at 1.92.
The worst performers of the session were QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX:), which fell 4.74% or 0.87 points to trade at 17.50, with its shares down 17.50. Beach Energy Ltd (ASX:) fell 4.58% or 0.07 points to 1.46 and St Barbara Ltd (ASX:) fell 4.55% or 0.01 points to 0.21.
Falling shares outnumbered advancing ones on the Sydney Stock Exchange, 653 to 525, while 468 closed unchanged.
The , which measures the implied volatility of options on the S&P/ASX 200 index, edged back 0.59% to 10.76.
Gold futures for August delivery fell 0.14% or 3.30 to trade at $2.00 per troy ounce. Elsewhere, Crude oil for August delivery fell 0.11% or 0.09 to $80.62 per barrel, while Brent crude futures for August delivery fell 0.15% or 0.13 to trade at $85.20 per barrel.
AUD/USD was up 0.24% at 0.67, while AUD/JPY was up 0.19% at 105.28.
In turn, the dollar futures index was unchanged 0.00% at 104.88.
Cory Weinberg is a contributor to Sproutwired.com, covering a wide range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment and lifestyle. He focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting that helps readers stay informed about current events and emerging developments. Cory’s work highlights relevant stories, practical insights and important issues affecting communities and industries, with an emphasis on accuracy, clarity and information that readers can trust.
