Australian stocks ended 0.1 percent lower on Monday after an early rise to a new high fizzled as a batch of stocks trading ex-dividend outweighed gains in major miners such as BHP Billiton
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index, which hit a fresh peak of 3,639.1, slipped 2.9 points to finish at 3,628.7 on near average turnover of A$2.1 billion ($1.5 billion).
"When you've got so many of the top 100 companies paying dividend, particularly something like a Telstra, its always hard for the market to make headway," said David Halliday, associate director at Macquarie Equities.
Investors were also reluctant to do much ahead of the US Federal Reserve policy-setting meeting on Tuesday, where a quarter percentage point rate hike is widely expected.
But end-of-quarter buying could send the market to new highs over the coming sessions, said Austock Stockbroking private client adviser Peter Cuthbertson.
Top phone company Telstra fell 3.3 percent, or 16 cents, to A$4.69 as it went ex-dividend by 13 cents, while tollroad operator Transurban lost 2.4 percent, or 13 cents, to A$5.37, as it traded ex-dividend by 13.5 cents.
By contrast, Sims Group shot 3.1 percent higher to a record A$13.11, despite trading ex-dividend by 60 cents, after it upgraded its earnings forecast. Its shares closed up 2.5 percent at A$13.03.
Sims, the world's largest metals recycler, said it expected its first-quarter earnings to surpass A$50 million thanks to favourable market conditions, beating the previous forecast of A$41 million.
"It just continues the string of companies reporting good news to the market ... and underlines the strength of the domestic and international economies," Halliday added. Also in favour, diversified miners BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto both rose strongly on the back of gains in their London-listed shares on Friday.
BHP climbed 2.5 percent to A$13.92, after earlier hitting a new high of A$14.00, and fellow global miner Rio Tinto added 1.4 percent to A$37.69.
On Friday, Goldman Sachs JBWere said in a report it expected Australian iron ore producers to win a 20 percent rise in 2005/06 benchmark price to Japan.
But the best performer in the top 200 stocks was biotech company Peptech, which leapt 12.1 percent to a five-month high of A$1.67 after it gave an upbeat outlook in remarks prepared for a roadshow.
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