Australian equities lower amid losses in IT, Healthcare

The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, was up 7.08 per cent to 12.67

Australia equities were lower on Monday, as losses in the IT, Healthcare and Real Estate Investment sectors propelled shares lower.

In Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.61 per cent.

Investors grappled with renewed trade uncertainty after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a 15% tariff on global imports following that country’s Supreme Court decision that struck down the president’s earlier tariffs.

The biggest gainers of the session on the S&P/ASX 200 were Reece Ltd, which gained 12.98 per cent or 1.81 points to trade at 15.75 at the close. Guzman Y Gomez Ltd rose 9.13 per cent or 1.60 points to close at 19.13 and Ramelius Resources Ltd was up 8.87 per cent or 0.40 points to 4.91 in late trade.

Biggest losers included Megaport Ltd, which shed 17.31 per cent or 1.67 points to trade at 7.98 in late trade. Perenti Global Ltd dropped 13.48 per cent or 0.38 points to close at 2.44 and Austal Ltd slipped 10.48 per cent or 0.66 points to 5.64.

Declining stocks outnumbered rising ones by 672 to 540 and 348 ended unchanged on the Sydney Stock Exchange.

The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, was up 7.08 per cent to 12.67.

In commodities trading, Gold Futures for April delivery was up 1.94 per cent or 98.59 to $5,179.49 a troy ounce. Meanwhile, Crude oil for delivery in April dropped 1.14 per cent or 0.76 to hit $65.72 a barrel, while the May Brent oil contract declined 1.05 per cent or 0.75 to trade at $70.55 a barrel.

AUD/USD was unchanged 0.18 per cent to 0.71, while AUD/JPY shed 0.56 per cent to 109.23.