The ASX 200 edged lower this afternoon, reflecting a mixed day across Australian equities, with contrasting performances across sectors. As of 3:27 pm AEST on Thursday, 13 June 2025, the S&P/ASX 200 fell by 23.00 points, or 0.27%, closing at 8,542.10. Despite the decline, the index has gained 0.31% over the last five trading days and remains just 1.12% off its 52-week high, signalling a market still holding ground near recent peaks.
ASX 200 Performance till Afternoon [ASX.com.au]
Energy Powers Ahead, Pharmaceuticals Take a Hit
A glance at sector performance tells a compelling story. Energy and Utilities were the clear winners of the day, with Energy surging 4.38% and Utilities rising by 3.95%. Buoyed by investor appetite for resources and steady global energy prices, the energy sector propped up the broader index even as other industries faltered.
Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) led the gains, jumping 10.61% to $1.98, while Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) followed closely with a 7.43% boost, closing at $25.22. Both companies also recorded massive surges in trading volume, with Woodside seeing a 314% volume increase and Karoon up by 291%, marking them as today’s volume outliers.
Other notable climbers include Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX), up 5.95%, Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG) rising 5.84%, and Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) adding 5.76% to its share price.
In stark contrast, the Health Care sector dragged on the index, with Clarity Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: CU6) plunging 6.84% and Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU) sliding 6.55%. These declines placed them at the top of today’s worst-performing stocks on the ASX 200.
Sector Breakdown: Energy and Utilities Shine, Tech and Health Care Sink
Sector performance heatmap [ASX.com.au]
Today’s sector performance reflects investor rotation into defensives and commodities while riskier growth sectors lagged.
- Energy (+4.38%) and Utilities (+3.95%) emerged as clear outperformers.
- Information Technology dropped the most, falling 1.56%, while Health Care and Telecommunications Services slid by 1.16% and 1.12% respectively.
- Other sectors in the red included Consumer Discretionary (-0.98%), Financials (-0.65%), Industrials (-0.49%), and Real Estate (A-REITs) (-0.35%).
- Consumer Staples and Materials showed marginal losses of 0.12% and 0.22% respectively.
Declines in Consumer and Travel Stocks
Among the notable laggards were Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV), which tumbled 6.52%, and Credit Corp Group Ltd (ASX: CCP), down 6.18%. Travel and tourism took a hit too, with Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) slipping 4.96%, highlighting ongoing investor caution in the discretionary spending space.
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Trading Highlights and Volume Movers
Beyond price movements, several stocks saw outsized trading volumes compared to their 90-day averages:
- Woodside Energy Group Ltd (WDS): 15.51 million shares traded, 314% above average
- Karoon Energy Ltd (KAR): 12.85 million shares, up 291%
- Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT): 15.37 million shares, 249% volume increase
- IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL): 6.56 million shares, up 241%
- Codan Ltd (ASX: CDA): 683.6K shares, up 177%
This heightened activity reflects renewed investor interest in select stocks, particularly those in energy and education sectors.
Market Outlook and Technical Take
Despite the modest dip today, the ASX 200 remains close to its all-time highs, indicating underlying market resilience. However, with mixed sentiment across sectors, traders are likely to remain selective and defensive amid ongoing global uncertainty.
As energy stocks rally on strong fundamentals and macro tailwinds, investors may continue to rotate out of high-growth tech and healthcare names, especially those under earnings pressure or facing regulatory headwinds.
The ASX 200’s next key support level sits near 8,500, with upside resistance still around 8,650, its recent intraday peak.
Final Take
Today’s session saw the ASX 200 give back some gains, but the strength in Energy and Utilities helped limit the overall decline. Sectoral rotation and investor caution amid economic uncertainty remain dominant themes, especially as the index hovers near historic highs.
Keep an eye on Airline, Pharma, and Energy names for momentum opportunities and signs of sectoral leadership into the new trading week.
