It was a bumpy ride, but the ASX ultimately ended the day on top.
Here's a quick recap:
- S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) up 0.6% to 5,197 points
- ALL ORDINARIES (Index: ^AXAO) (ASX: XAO) up 0.6% to 5,228 points
- AUD/USD at US 71.76 cents
- Iron Ore at US$53.14 a tonne, according to the Metal Bulletin
- Gold at US$1,148.31 an ounce
- Brent oil at US$ 52.44 a barrel
The local sharemarket got off to a shaky start, but gradually improved as the day went on. Some of the country's biggest dividend-paying stocks struggled to gain traction following yesterday's interest rate decision, but that was offset by enormous gains in the energy sector.
Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG) gained 11.9% and 9.7% respectively, while Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) was up 6%.
AWE Limited (ASX: AWE) and Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd (ASX: LNG) were the market's biggest winners for the day, gaining 15.1% and 21.6% respectively.
The banks produced mixed results, while Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) fell 0.7%. Meanwhile, BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) rose 1.6% and Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) ended the day 6.3% higher.
The worst performing stock for the day was Pact Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: PGH). It fell 5.8%.
Here are Wednesday's top stories: