Aussie share market sees 2nd worst day of 2019

SYDNEY, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The Australian share index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">market closed sharply lower on Monday, with broad-based loses across the index.html" target="_blank">index.

At the close of trade, the benchmark SP/ASX 200 index.html" target="_blank">index was down 69.00 points or 1.11 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent at 6,126.20, while the broader All Ordinaries index.html" target="_blank">index fell 72.20 points or 1.15 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent at 6,208.70.

"This was the second biggest tumble for our index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">market in 2019 and it comes courtesy of global index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">markets which didn't do so well on Friday," Commmsec index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">market analyst Steven Daghlian told investors in an afternoon index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">market report.

"This was sparked by fears of a global growth slowdown after a number of economic indicators were quite disappointing."

"(Today) 75 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent of companies on the index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">market found themselves in negative territory."

In the financial space, Australia's big banks weakened with the Commonwealth Bank down (0.91 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent), Westpac Bank down (1.47 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent), National Australia Bank down (0.88 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent) and ANZ down (2.26 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent).

Mining stocks also came under heavy pressure with BHP down (1.28 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent), Rio Tinto down (1.10 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent), Fortescue Metals down (1.21 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent). However, gold miner Newcrest shot up (3.19 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent).

After a drop in crude prices, the country's oil and gas producers were thrashed with Woodside Petroleum down (2.82 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent), Santos down (3.76 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent) and Oil Search down (3.27 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent).

Australia's largest superindex.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">market chains saw mixed results with Wesfarmers up (0.66 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent) and Woolworths down (0.36 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent).

While telecommunications giant Telstra improved (0.61 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent), the national carrier Qantas sank (0.92 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent) and biomedical firm CSL dived (0.96 index.html" target="_blank">index.html" target="_blank">percent).