By Oliver Gray
Investing.com - The S&P/ASX 200 was down just 4.7 points or 0.1% to 7452.2 during Monday’s trade, following gains of 1.8% in the previous week as gains in mining and energy companies offset losses in healthcare and financials.
Among stocks, Gold miners gained as a weaker Greenback pushed gold prices higher. Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX:NCM) added 1.2%, Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX:NST) added 3.33% Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX:EVN) added 4.03%. Energy companies also moved higher amid stronger crude oil prices, with Santos Ltd (ASX:STO) adding 3.07%, Oil Search Ltd (ASX:OSH) up 2.13%, Woodside Petroleum Ltd (ASX:WPL) gaining 2.97% and Beach Energy Ltd (ASX:BPT) up 4.3%. Iron ore heavyweights also closed in the green, with Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX:RIO) up 0.38%, BHP Billiton Ltd (ASX:BHP) adding 0.8% and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX:FMG) lifting 0.42%. Stanmore Coal (ASX:SMR) gained 14.01% after announcing a deal to buy metallurgical coal assets from BHP (ASX:BHP) for $A1.35 billion. Meantime, some financial stocks closed lower as they traded ex-divended, with Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX:ANZ) down 1.56% and Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX:MQG) down 0.75%. Healthcare companies also fell with CSL Ltd (ASX:CSL) down 0.76%, Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX:SHL) falling 2.2% and Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:CUV) plunging 8.31%.
On the bond markets, Australia 10-Year yields were near 2-week lows of 1.766%, while United States 10-Year rates were near 5-week lows of 1.465%.
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 fell 34.53 points or 0.26% to 13041.3.