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The local market took lead from Wall Street today, following softer-than-expected inflation data out in America, easing investor fears of further aggressive rate hikes to come from the Fed. The ASX closed the midweek session up 0.67% buoyed by a surge in utilities stocks.

Gold miner St Barbara (ASX:SBM) soared 20% today, after the company announced the successful completion of the bookbuild for the conditional placement issuing approximately 229.2m new Genesis Minerals (AXS:GMD) shares to raise $275 million to facilitate the merger of St Barbara and Genesis Minerals. Under the planned merger, St Barbara (ASX:SBM) and Genesis (ASX:GMD) will merge their Leonora District operations in WA to form a new gold company, Hoover House. St Barbara’s other assets will be demerged to form a new junior gold company called Phoenician Metals which focuses on the long-term value of a portfolio including the Atlantic and Simberi operations.

The winning stocks of the session were led by St Barbara (ASX:SBM) adding almost 14% at the closing bell, Block (ASX:SQ2) rallying 8.15% and Chalise Mining (ASX:CHN) adding 6.41%. And on the losing end, Imugene (ASX:IMU) tanked 5.13%, while Endeavour Group (ASX:EDV) fell 4.33% and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank (ASX:BEN) fell 3.31%.

The most traded stocks by Bell Direct clients were Telstra Corporation (ASX:TLS), Arafura Rare Earths (ASX:SRU), Newcrest Mining (ASX:NCM).

On the commodities front crude oil is trading 0.2% lower at US$75.22 per barrel, gold is flat at US$1,809 per ounce, and iron ore is down 2.64% at US$110.50 per tonne.

Aussie dollar is buying 68 US cents, 92.65 Japanese Yen, 55.49 Japanese Yen and NZ$1.06.