After losses in the Energy, A-REITs, and Consumer Staples sectors, Australian stocks closed lower on Monday. The S&P/ASX 200 fell 1.38% at the close in Sydney, reaching a new low of three months.
St Barbara Ltd (ASX:SBM), Gold Road Resources Ltd (ASX:GOR), and Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX:RSG) were the top performers in the S&P/ASX 200 during the session. St Barbara Ltd rose by 15.79% or 0.09 points, trading at 0.66 at the close. Gold Road Resources Ltd added 10.96% or 0.17 points, closing at 1.67, and Resolute Mining Ltd was up 10.29% or 0.04 points, reaching 0.38 in late trade.
On the other hand, Nuix Ltd (ASX:NXL), A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX:A2M), and EML Payments Ltd (ASX:EML) were the worst performers of the session. Nuix Ltd fell 7.08% or 0.08 points, trading at 1.05 at the close. A2 Milk Company Ltd declined 7.06% or 0.45 points, ending at 5.92, and EML Payments Ltd was down 6.67% or 0.03 points, closing at 0.42.
At the Sydney Stock Exchange, falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones, with 947 falling, 385 advancing, and 306 ending unchanged. Shares in Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX:RSG) reached a 52-week high, rising by 10.29% or 0.04 to 0.38.
The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, was up by 13.76% to 16.89, reaching a new low of three months.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for April delivery rose by 2.00% or 39.45 to $2,012.95 a troy ounce, while Crude oil for delivery in May fell by 2.79% or 1.87 to reach $65.06 a barrel. The May Brent oil contract fell 2.73% or 1.99 to trade at $70.98 a barrel.
AUD/USD remained unchanged at 0.16% to 0.67, while AUD/JPY fell 0.79% to 87.54. The US Dollar Index Futures rose by 0.10% at 103.46.