The S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) has closed almost flat. At the finish the index registered a small gain of 0.05%.
Today's result followed a positive lead from Wall Street where US markets moved higher overnight. The Dow Jones was up 0.53%, while the S&P 500 rose 0.48% following investor enthusiasm for earnings results from a number of companies.
Locally, investors appeared indecisive as they reacted negatively to a recent broker downgrade to bank shares and a quarterly sales report from Woolworths Limited (ASX: WOW) which failed to meet expectations.
Sectors were mixed. Telecommunications and health care performed the best with gains of 1.2% and 1% respectively. Consumer discretionary, energy, materials, property and utilities also gained. Industrials and IT were flat, while financials and consumer staples dropped 0.25% and 1.1% respectively.
Here are the top five best performing stocks in the index today:
- Horizon Oil Ltd (ASX: HZN) rallied 7% to 38 cents
- Independence Group NL (ASX: IGO) jumped 4.6% to $4.33
- PanAust Limited (ASX: PNA) climbed 4.2% to $1.60
- Sirius Resources N.L. (ASX: SIR) added 3.9% to $2.69
- Transfield Services Limited (ASX: TSE) gained 3.8% to 95.5 cents
These stocks were the losers on the day:
