Stocks in Australia slipped during early trading Friday, as the S&P/ASX 200 Benchmark Index fell 0.4% to 8466.30.

Among local companies with a market cap of at least 15 billion Australian dollars ($10.63 billion), Lynas Rare Earths is the biggest early laggard, tumbling 5%, followed by shares of South32, which declined 4%. Shares of BHP Group fell 2.4%.

Origin Energy is the biggest leader this morning, increasing 1.8%, and Sigma Healthcare added 3.4%. CSL rounds out the top three movers, as shares added 1.5%.

On the currency front, the WSJ Dollar Index increased 0.1% to 95.99. The U.S dollar held steady against the Australian dollar at 1.41 Australian dollars.

In the bond markets, the 10-year Australian government bond yield increased 2.37 basis points to 5.012%.