Thursday, 20 August 2015 11:26
SYDNEY: Australian shares posted their lowest close for 2015 on Thursday following a broad-based selloff sparked by worries about slowing Chinese economic growth and uncertainty about when the Federal Reserve will raise US interest rates.
The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 1.7 percent, or 91.6 points, to 5,288.6 – the lowest closing level since mid-December.
All the major banks and miners finished in the red. Commonwealth Bank led the big four lenders with a 2.7-percent fall. BHP Billiton shed 3.1 percent. New Zealand’s benchmark NZX 50 index slipped 0.1 percent, or 7.6 points, to finish at 5,742.5.
