Australia Sees Stock Market Upswing: Finance, Energy, and Industrial Sectors Drive S&P/ASX 200 to New Monthly High

The Australian stock markets saw a significant rise on Monday after the close of trading, driven by gains in the financial, energy, and industrial sectors. The S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney increased by 0.22%, reaching a new monthly high. The top performers of the day included Healius, which closed with an increase of 5.09% or 0.09 points to 1.76. Medibank Private followed, gaining 3.37% or 0.13 points to finish at 3.99, while NIB Holdings rose by 3.19% or 0.20 points to 6.46. Conversely, Westgold Resources were the biggest losers, falling by 6.74% or 0.21 points to 2.84. St Barbara also saw losses, declining by 5.88% or 0.02 points to 0.24. Rea Group dropped by 5.51% or 12.07 points to 206.93. At the Sydney exchange, declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones by 623 to 523, with 416 remaining unchanged. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, rose by 0.28% to 10.97. In the commodity market, the price of gold for December delivery increased by 0.21% or 5.35 to 2,532.95 USD per ounce. In the oil sector, the price of crude oil for October delivery fell by 0.60% or 0.44 to 73.11 USD per barrel, while the November Brent oil contract decreased by 0.70% or 0.54 to 76.39 USD per barrel.