The third quarter of the financial year has drawn to a close with little fanfare. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) finished the day up 0.31%, the week up 0.54%, and the quarter up 0.27%.
There were few catalysts to provide direction today with US markets flat overnight. The Dow Jones finished down 0.03%, while the S&P 500 closed 0.19% lower after data showed the US economy grew by 2.6% in the final quarter of 2013, which was stronger than previously thought. Offsetting the GDP revision was data which suggests the US housing sector is continuing to slow.
Gold stocks fell after the gold price fell to a six-week low; however the materials sector still managed a gain thanks to the major diversified miners moving higher. Most sectors were also up, with the exception of health care and consumer staples which fell.
Here are the top five best performing stocks in the index today:
- Drillsearch Energy Limited (ASX: DLS) jumped 6.3% to $1.68
- TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPM) rose 5.9% to $6.69
- Navitas Limited (ASX: NVT) added 5.8% to $7.33
- Kathmandu Holdings Ltd (ASX: KMD) climbed 5.3% to $3.55
- Alumina Limited (ASX: AWC) closed up 5.3% to $1.20
These stocks were the losers on the day: