Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.52% on Thursday, driven by gains in the Energy, Resources, and Metals & Mining sectors. Top performers included Mesoblast Ltd, up 8.06% to a three-year high, Appen Ltd, rising 6.82%, and St Barbara Ltd, which gained 4.44%. Meanwhile, Kogan.com Ltd fell 1.61%, Technology One Ltd declined 2.20%, and Bapcor Ltd dropped 1.91%. Advancing stocks outnumbered decliners on the Sydney Stock Exchange. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, indicating market volatility, declined 1.83% to 11.11. In commodities, gold futures rose 0.25% to $2,647.61, crude oil gained 0.29% to $71.93, and Brent oil increased 0.23% to $74.81. Currency-wise, AUD/USD remained steady, while AUD/JPY rose 0.59% to 97.67.