Australian stocks closed higher on Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 gaining 0.57% to reach a one-month high, driven by gains in the Utilities, Gold, and IT sectors. Appen Ltd led the session with a 6.94% rise, followed by Mesoblast Ltd, which added 5.54%. However, Premier Investments Ltd dropped 20.65%, hitting a 52-week low. Omni Bridgeway Ltd and St Barbara Ltd also saw declines. Market breadth remained positive, with 652 stocks advancing against 447 decliners. The S&P/ASX 200 VIX fell 1.24% to 10.83. In commodities, gold futures edged up 0.09%, while crude oil and Brent oil saw slight declines.