Australian equities retreated at the close on Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 index falling 0.40% to 9,127.80, a decline of 36.80 points. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by 575 to 515, with 408 stocks unchanged.
Losses were led by declines in the information technology, energy and telecoms services sectors. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, a measure of implied volatility, rose 0.43% to 10.59.
Among individual movers, Lovisa Holdings Ltd led gains with an 11.55% advance to A$27.33, followed by Perseus Mining Ltd at 9.95% to A$6.74 and Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd at 6.15% to A$1.04. On the downside, DroneShield Ltd slumped 11.03% to A$1.74, Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd fell 9.76% to A$20.33 and Wisetech Global Ltd dropped 9.61% to A$41.10.
Commodities traded lower overnight. Gold futures for December delivery fell 0.24% to $4,683.36 per troy ounce, while crude oil for October delivery declined 1.86% to $80.83 per barrel. The Brent crude contract for November delivery slipped 1.62% to $85.86 per barrel.
The Australian dollar held steady against the U.S. dollar, with AUD/USD flat at 0.72. The Australian dollar strengthened 0.08% against the yen to 114.15, while the U.S. Dollar Index futures rose 0.11% to 98.94.
