The ASX overturned a morning rally to close lower on Tuesday as a sell-off in healthcare stocks weighed on the key index.
Anz weekly consumer confidence data out today shows consumer confidence dropped 7.6% over the past week to its lowest level since October last year as the omicron COVID-19 variant continues to curb consumer spending.
The stocks that took the spotlight today were:
Rio Tinto fell 0.5% after the metals and mining giant released fourth quarter results showing a 5% decline in Pilbara iron ore shipments to 84.1 million tonnes, and full year shipments fell 3% year on year.
Travel shares took a hit today after the European Union took Australia off its safe travel list amid the growing Omicron outbreak down under. Qantas dipped almost 2%, Webjet lost 1.2% and Flight Centre shed just over 0.5%.
Data#3 Ltd jumped 14% today after releasing a half year trading update including first half profit after tax expected to be slightly above the top end of its guidance, above 18 million dollars which is expected to lead to EPS growth of 30% during the period.