The local share market fell sharply after it opened this morning and, from there, it never looked like recovering.
Here's a quick recap:
- S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) down 0.9% to 5339 points
- ALL ORDINARIES (Index: ^AXAO) (ASX: XAO) down 0.8% to 5440 points
- AUD/USD at US 76.55 cents
- Iron Ore at US$58.14 a tonne, according to the Metal Bulletin
- Gold at US$1,337.87 an ounce
- Brent oil at US$49.47 a barrel
Most shares spent the majority of Friday's session in the red.
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ASX: ANZ) lost 1.2%, while rivals Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) dropped 1.7% and 1.6%, respectively.
Woolworths Limited (ASX: WOW) also fell 1.8%, with fellow grocery giant Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) declining 1.1%.
Mining giant BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) produced a far superior performance, rising 2.6%. South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) also gained 5.2%.
Gold miner Beadell Resources Ltd (ASX: BDR) fell sharply, shedding 7.1%. Select Harvests Limited (ASX: SHV) also declined 3.1%.
Sigma Pharmaceutical Limited (ASX: SIP), on the other hand, backed up Thursday's performance with another stunning return. Its shares rose 9.3%, with Whitehaven Coal Limited (ASX: WHC) also gaining 8.7%.
Here are Friday's top stories:
- 3 blue-chip shares that won't let you down
- 4 shares you'd love to buy, but shouldn't
- Should you buy shares of JB Hi-Fi Limited and Nick Scali Limited?
- Why this top broker thinks Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd is a buy
- 3 growing biotech shares that could make you rich
- Shareholders set to receive $24 billion in dividends