The S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) has had a positive start to week and is up 0.2% to 6,181 at lunch.
Here's what has been happening on the benchmark index on Monday:
Appen rockets to an all-time high.
The Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) share price rocketed 20% to an all-time high this morning following the release of an impressive full year result. Despite upgrading its full year EBITDA guidance as late as mid-November, the developer of high-quality, human annotated datasets for machine learning and artificial intelligence delivered underlying EBITDA 10% ahead of its upgraded guidance at $71.3 million.
Afterpay Touch shares surge higher.
Not far behind Appen on Monday is the Afterpay Touch Group Ltd (ASX: APT) share price. The payments company's shares are up 16% at lunch after the conclusion of the Senate inquiry into credit and financial services targeted at Australians at risk of financial hardship. A note out of Goldman Sachs reveals that its analysts don't believe the recommendations will be an issue for the Afterpay platform.
Nanosonics results impress.
Another strong performer on Monday has been the Nanosonics Ltd (ASX: NAN) share price which is almost 13% higher at lunch. The infection control specialist impressed the market with record first half sales of $40.7 million. This was a 36% increase on prior corresponding period and 33% on the second half of FY 2018.
G8 Education disappoints.
The G8 Education Ltd (ASX: GEM) share price has been slammed following the release of its full year results and is down 12% at lunch. Investors appear disappointed with the company's 12.7% decline in underlying EBIT and a 1.9 percentage point drop in its occupancy rate to 74% on a like for like basis.
Best and worst performers.
Appen, Afterpay Touch, and Nanosonics are leading the way with their respective gains, closely followed by the Automotive Holdings Group Ltd (ASX: AHG) share price which is up 10%. Its shares have rallied strongly since the release of its half year results. Going the other way is the G8 Education share price, followed by the oOh!Media Ltd (ASX: OML) share price which has fallen 5.5% after the release of a full year result which fell short of expectations.
