SYDNEY — Australian shares posted mixed results Thursday with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index closing down 0.57%, yet a handful of standout performers bucked the broader weakness, delivering double-digit gains that highlighted selective buying in healthcare, resources and consumer stocks amid shifting policy expectations and commodity moves.
The session's biggest risers within the ASX 200 underscored the market's rotational nature, as investors rotated toward names perceived to benefit from potential aged care funding improvements in the recent federal budget while others rode commodity tailwinds or company-specific momentum. Leading the pack was aged care operator Regis Healthcare Ltd, whose shares exploded higher on renewed optimism around government support for the sector.
