Energy stocks lift in first day of share trading for 2024

Energy companies powered the Australian sharemarket on its first day of trading in 2024 shrugging off negativity in Wall Street last week, following a year which saw the local bourse register its best annual return since 2021. The S&P/ASX 200 rose 12.6 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 7603.4 at about 10.30am AEDT as most sectors trading in positive territory and as other major sharemarkets remained closed overnight for New Year’s Day. The Australian sharemarket was lacklustre on its first day of trading in 2024. Credit: AFR Energy stocks (up 0.7 per cent) were among the strongest on the local bourse with coal miners Whitehaven (up 1.5…