ASX 200 pares back intraday fall as fire at Ukrainian nuclear plant is extinguished

All sectors were down bar the defensive staples but it has been a week of resilience thanks to resources-sector gains on commodity-price strength.

The Australian sharemarket is set for a volatile session as the war in Ukraine shows no sign of stopping. Picture: Gaye Gerard / NCA Newswire

Welcome to the Trading Day blog for Friday, March 4. ASX 200 ended just 0.6 per cent lower at 7110.8 with most sectors down. Shares in uranium miner Paladin Energy were the worst performing, down 14.9 percent, while gold miner Perseus stocks rose the most, up by 3.1 per cent. 

The S&P/ASX 200 benchmark index closed down 0.6 per cent to 7,110.8 after tumbling as much as 1.8 per cent during the session as Europe's largest nuclear reactor in the Ukraine caught on fire after shelling by Russian troops.

The price of gold also spiked, as investors sought safe-haven assets, but gold and oil gave up most of their intraday gains.

The index added 1.6 per cent for the week - the best result in a month.