AU Evening Wrap: Strongest finish in eight months

Moomoo News AU wrote a column · Apr 21, 2022 01:46

G'day, mooers! Check out the latest news on today's stock market!
• ASX 200 closed 0.31% higher at 7592.8 points today
• Top gainers: $Challenger Ltd(CGF.AU)$, $Brambles Ltd(BXB.AU)$, $Lendlease Group(LLC.AU)$
• Top losers: $Megaport Ltd(MP1.AU)$, $AVZ Minerals Ltd(AVZ.AU)$, $Yancoal Australia Ltd(YAL.AU)$
- moomoo News AU

The $S&P/ASX 200(.XJO.AU)$ poked its head above 7600 for only the third time this year before trimming its advance to 24 points or 0.31 per cent. The index closed at 7592.8, its best finish since last year's all-time high.

A strong session for industrials, property trusts and banks kept the index on the rise for a fifth session. Positive quarterlies lifted pallets provider Brambles and fund manager Challenger. Tech stocks and materials were among the drags.

$Brambles Ltd(BXB.AU)$ jumped 7.98 per cent on a sales and profit upgrade. The pallets supplier said sales revenues increased 7 per cent last quarter.

A record quarter boosted $Santos Ltd(STO.AU)$ 1.7 per cent. The company produced 26 million barrels of oil equivalent for record sales revenues of US$1.9 billion, an increase of 25 per cent from the prior quarter.

$BHP Group Ltd(BHP.AU)$ dropped 3.06 per cent after cutting its production guidance for copper and nickel and reporting an 8 per cent decline in iron ore shipments. The miner reaffirmed its full-year outlook for iron ore and coal production.

S&P/ASX 200 Movers for Thursday (4/21)