The S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) has posted a gain of 0.98% today following a calmer session overnight on US markets where the Dow Jones finished up 0.06% and the S&P 500 rose 0.38%.
Today's gains place the index at a five-and-a-half-year high and come after economic news was released including flat housing finance data and a tepid consumer confidence reading.
It was a clean sweep right across the board today with all sectors finishing higher. On the back of the David Jones takeover offer, consumer discretionary led the gains up 2%. The only sectors not to register gains of over 1% were financials, health care, information technology and telecommunication services.
Here are the top five best performing stocks in the index today:
- David Jones Limited (ASX: DJS) soared 22.6% to $3.91
- Worleyparsons Limited (ASX: WOR) rallied 6.9% to $16.55
- Beadell Resources Ltd (ASX: BDR) jumped 5.9% to 62.5 cents
- Western Areas Ltd (ASX: WSA) climbed 5.8% to $3.67
- Sirius Resources N.L. (ASX: SIR) rose 5.2% to $2.44
These stocks were the losers on the day:
