The Australian share market ended flat on Tuesday as a late-session sell-off in pharmaceutical giant CSL offset gains in gold miners and strong earnings reports from select companies.
The S&P/ASX 200 edged up just 1.20 points to close at 8,484.00.
Nine of the 11 sectors in the ASX 200 finished higher, led by industrials and technology stocks.
However, the healthcare sector dragged on the index, with CSL plunging 4.7% after reporting that low immunisation rates in the U.S. dented first-half sales.
Macquarie gained 1.8% following a third-quarter performance in line with last year’s results.
Seven West Media surged 6.1% despite a sharp drop in half-year profit to $18 million, as the company signalled signs of recovery in the advertising market. Nine Entertainment also jumped 14% on similar optimism.
Gold miners were among the session’s top performers as gold prices hit fresh record highs. St Barbara lifted 5.8%, Northern Star Resources gained 4%, Evolution Mining rose 4.9%, while De Grey Mining added 3.9%.
In other corporate moves, SGH (formerly Seven Group Holdings) climbed 6.1% after raising its dividend by 30%, supported by strong returns from its Boral acquisition.
Breville finished 2.2% lower, despite forecasting earnings growth of 10.5%.
Charter Hall Social Infrastructure REIT jumped 8% after lifting its full-year distribution guidance to 15.2 cents per unit, up from 15 cents.
In the bond market, 10-year and 2-year yields eased to 4.398% and 3.793%, respectively.
