Local shares followed their international counterparts lower today and it was the banks leading the way.
Here's a quick recap:
- S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) down 0.5% to 5142 points
- ALL ORDINARIES (Index: ^AXAO) (ASX: XAO) down 0.5% to 5205 points
- AUD/USD at US 76.10 cents
- Iron Ore at US$58.36 a tonne, according to the Metal Bulletin
- Gold at US$1,234.38 an ounce
- Brent oil at US$41.34 a barrel
A volatile session for foreign markets, caused largely by the latest terrorist attacks in Europe – this time in Brussels – led to a rather cautious session locally.
The banks led what was a rather broad sell-off, with National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB) falling the most to be down 2%. The remaining three banks all ended the day between 0.3% and 0.4% lower.
The miners were on the ropes again today as well. BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP), for instance, lost 1.7%, while South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) and Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) closed 3.2% and 4.4% lower, respectively.
Woolworths Limited (ASX: WOW) was one of the few blue-chips to end the day higher. Its shares rose 1.4%, while shares of Ardent Leisure Group (ASX: AAD) continued yesterday's rally, rising another 6.9%.
Sundance Energy Australia Ltd (ASX: SEA) wasn't so lucky, losing 12.5%.
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