The S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) has finished the day up 0.52%, bringing to a close a tepid quarter which has seen the index gain just 0.8%. Monday's gains follow a positive end to the week on Wall Street last Friday where the Dow Jones added 0.36% and the S&P 500 put on 0.46%.
Much of the action on the ASX today was simply window dressing by fund managers as they adjusted their portfolios before closing the books on the March quarter. Economic news out today included data showing a 4.6% lift in new home sales and a monthly inflation gauge which suggests inflation is creeping up towards the top end of the Reserve Bank of Australia's target range.
Health care and consumer staples were the only sectors to register falls; all other sectors rallying on Monday.
Here are the top five best performing stocks in the index today:
- Reject Shop Ltd (ASX: TRS) jumped 7% to $10.14
- Whitehaven Coal Limited (ASX: WHC) added 4.7% to $1.65
- Medusa Mining Limited (ASX: MML) climbed 4.5% to $2.08
- Ozforex Group Ltd (ASX: OFX) rose 4.4% to $3.30
- Resolute Mining Limited (ASX: RSG) gained 4.4% to 59.5 cents
These stocks were the losers on the day:
