The S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) has clawed its way back from early heavy losses which saw the market down around 1% at midday to finish the day 0.55% lower.
The session followed a weak lead overnight from US markets where the Dow Jones ended down 0.41% and the S&P 500 lost 0.51%.
There were a number of negative factors weighing on investors today. The Australian dollar fell back below US90 cents, the copper price dropped to its lowest level since July 2010, the oil price slipped under US$100 per barrel and consumer confidence hit a 10-month low in March according to the Westpac-Melbourne institute Index of Consumer Sentiment.
Sectors ended the day mixed after all being lower at noon. At the close, materials and healthcare were showing gains while the remaining sectors were all in negative territory.
Here are the top five best performing stocks in the index today.
- Silver Lake Resources Limited. (ASX: SLR) jumped 10.1% to 49 cents
- Resolute Mining Limited (ASX: RSG) rallied 8.9% to 67 cents
- Medusa Mining Limited (ASX: MML) added 8% to $2.42
- Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) rose 5.2% to $11.98
- Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) gained 5.1% to $1.23
These stocks were the losers on the day.
