Market Overview - The Australian stock market showed modest gains on Friday, with the S&P/ASX 200 rising by 10.60 points or 0.12% to close at 8,896.10, despite a weekly loss of 1.36% and being 2.40% below its 52-week high [8] - The All Ordinaries Index opened at 9,178.90 and closed at 9,189.60, marking a 0.1% increase [8] Sector Performance - Smaller companies outperformed larger ones, with the S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries rising 0.5% to 3,777.80, while the S&P/ASX Midcap 50 dipped 0.1% to 11,883.10 [2] - The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT gained 0.4%, rising from 1,870.00 to 1,877.90, while the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index fell 1.2% from 4,280.50 to 4,227.60 [3][9] Top Gainers and Losers - Ventia Services Group Limited (VNT) led the gainers, climbing 4.945% to close at $5.73, followed by Westgold Resources Limited (WGX) with a 4.851% increase to $5.30 [5][9] - The top decliner was Steadfast Group Limited (SDF), which fell 8.791% to $5.66, followed by Droneshield Limited (DRO) with a 5.160% loss to $3.86 [6][9] Company-Specific News - Mayne Pharma's shares dropped 30% to $4.31 after news that the Australian treasurer is considering blocking a $672 million proposed buyout by Cosette, with the stock slumping nearly 40% to $3.81 during intraday trading [7][9]
Australian Stock Market rises, sees modest gains across indices, Mayne Pharma drops 30%; check ASX 200 top gainers and losers