Australian equities retreated on Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 index closing 0.40% lower as declines in information technology, energy and telecommunications services offset gains elsewhere.
Decliners outnumbered advancers by 575 to 515 on the Sydney Stock Exchange, with 408 issues unchanged. The benchmark’s volatility gauge, the S&P/ASX 200 VIX, edged up 0.43% to 10.59.
Among individual movers, Lovisa Holdings led gains with an 11.55% advance to A$27.33, while Perseus Mining rose 9.95% to A$6.74, marking a record high. Nine Entertainment also climbed 6.15% to A$1.04.
On the downside, DroneShield slumped 11.03% to A$1.74, Neuren Pharmaceuticals fell 9.76% to A$20.33 and Wisetech Global dropped 9.61% to A$41.10.
Commodities softened as gold futures for December delivery slipped 0.24% to $4,683.04 per troy ounce and Brent crude for November delivery fell 1.59% to $85.88 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate crude for October delivery declined 1.85% to $80.84 per barrel.
The Australian dollar held steady against the U.S. dollar, trading at 0.72, while the U.S. Dollar Index futures declined 0.11% to 98.94. The AUD/JPY pair was little changed at 114.15.
The session’s broad declines followed a mixed regional session, with losses concentrated in rate-sensitive and commodity-linked sectors amid softer global risk appetite.
