ASX 200 ends lower as crude oil plunges; TPG, BHP rally

ASX ends winning steak as oil prices fall, but ends the quarter higher. Wesfarmers takes control of API, record job vacancies, Paladin $215m raising and Liontown soars on SK talks.

Rising commodity prices are driving volatile trade across global markets. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Welcome to the Trading Day blog for Thursday, March 31. Australian shares end lower for the first time in over a week as plunging oil prices erases earlier gains. It comes as the ASX climbs 0.7 per cent for the March quarter and 6.4 per cent for the month.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.2 per cent or 14.92 points to 7499.60 with three of the 11 sectors in the green.

In the US, a four-day winning streak came to an end with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing 0.2 per cent lower, the S&P 500 falling 0.6 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite losing more than 1 per cent.

It followed sharp losses on Germany’s DAX index after Europe’s biggest economy said soaring energy prices would hit growth this year. The pan-European STOXX 600 also closed lower.

Oil gained with the international benchmark Brent crude up 2.9 per cent to $US113.45 a barrel and US WTI about 3.4 per cent higher at $US107.82 a barrel.

Iron ore futures are up 0.4 per cent to $US150.88 per tonne.

The Aussie dollar was near  US75.1c at the US close.