Australian stock market closes lower; the Australian S&P/ASX200 index fell 0.61% by the close

2026-02-23 11:29:20

Investing.com – The Australian stock market declined on Monday, led lower by sectors such as information technology, healthcare, and real estate investment trusts.

At the close in Sydney, the Australian S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.61%.

The best-performing stock in the Australian S&P/ASX 200 was Reece Ltd (ASX:REH), which rose 12.98% (1.81 points) to close at 15.75. Meanwhile, Guzman Y Gomez Ltd (ASX:GYG) increased by 9.13% (1.60 points) to 19.13; Leamore Resources (ASX:RMS) gained 8.87% (0.40 points), closing at 4.91.

The weakest-performing stock was Megaport Ltd (ASX:MP1), which dropped 17.31% (1.67 points) to 7.98. Perenti Global Ltd (ASX:PRN) declined 13.48% (0.38 points) to 2.44; Austal Ltd (ASX:ASB) fell 10.48% (0.66 points) to 5.64 at the close.

A total of 672 stocks on the Sydney Stock Exchange declined, outnumbering the 540 stocks that rose, while 348 stocks remained unchanged, essentially flat.

Megaport Ltd (ASX:MP1) stock plummeted to a one-year low, down 17.31% (1.67 points), closing at 7.98.

The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures implied volatility of Australian S&P/ASX 200 index options, rose 7.08% to 12.67.

Gold futures April options contracts increased by 1.94% (98.69 points), reaching $5,179.59. In other futures, April WTI crude oil futures declined 1.14% (0.76 points) to $65.72, while May London Brent crude oil futures fell 1.02% (0.73) to $70.57.

The AUD/USD remained unchanged at 0.16%, with the exchange rate at 0.71; meanwhile, AUD/JPY declined 0.56%, quoted at 109.24.

The US dollar index futures fell 0.31%, to 97.43.

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