Australian shares ended just 0.2 percent firmer on Monday, well below the day's highs as early gains made on news of changes in government in Italy and Greece to help resolve debt crises gave way to wariness. Investors are waiting to see clearer fiscal and economic policies spelled out, analysts said, and hoping that an Italian bond auction on Monday will bring yields down from the perilous 7-percent-plus levels that threatened their economy.
Australia's top four banks and financial firms boosted the market in morning trade with gains between 1.0 percent and 1.6 percent, but rises were eroded in the afternoon. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index nudged up 8.1 points to 4,304.6, about after touching a high of 4,363, on thin volume around 60 percent of average. The benchmark rose 1.2 percent on Friday at the end of a choppy week. New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index reversed direction to end down 0.4 percent to 3,309.9.
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