The ASX200 closed up 0.03% at 8,423 points.
Gold rose after China’s central bank added bullion to its reserves in November, resuming a key pillar of support for the precious metal. Bullion climbed by 0.5% to US$2,640.
Energy was the worst performing sector, down 1%, followed by Materials and Information Technology, both down 0.4%. Discretionary finished the best performer, up 0.65%, followed by Telecommunication, up 0.36%, and Health Care, up 0.3%.
In the Green
Southern Cross Gold (ASX:SXG) closed up 6.77% on news of a discovery at the Apollo prospect within its 100%-owned Sunday Creek Gold-Antimony Project in Victoria. The exceptional results confirm the potential for Sunday Creek to rank among the world’s leading gold-antimony discoveries.
Southern Cross Gold closed at $3.47.
Vection Technologies (ASX:VR1) closed up 15.00% after inking new contracts worth $500,000 with global brands Natuzzi and Nestlé. The agreements underscore Vection’s evolving role in enhancing business operations through its AI and XR ecosystem.
Vection Technologies closed at 2.3 cents.
Actinogen Medical (ASX:ACW) kicked off its Phase 2b/3 clinical trial of its candidate drug Xanamem targeting Alzheimer’s disease.
Actinogen Medical closed at 3.1 cents.
In the Red
Woodside Energy (ASX:WDS) closed down 1.12% as the oil price continues to drift lower. The company’s share price is down around 25% for the year on the back of a declining Brent crude oil price of US$71.40 – a far cry from the highs of $91 in April.
Woodside closed at $23.79.
Sarytogan Graphite (ASX:SGA) says its ultra-high purity fine graphite has proven suitable as feedstock for synthetic industrial diamonds.This breakthrough enhances Sarytogan’s market reach and adds a new high-value application for its product.
Sarytogan Graphite closed at 7.6 cents.
Life360 (ASX:360) closed down 8.32% after questions were raised about the stock’s inclusion in the Russell indexes. Earlier this year, the company shared it would join the Russell 2000and the Russell 3000; historically a manoeuvre that attracts capital from passive investors keen to track the indexes.
Life360 closed at $24.03.