SYDNEY/WELLINGTON: Australian shares closed on Tuesday at their highest in nearly nine months, pushed up by financial and energy stocks after Wall Street surged overnight on news of the promising results of a second coronavirus vaccine candidate.
The S&P/ASX 200 index closed 0.2% higher at 6,498.2 points, the highest since Feb. 27. The index had risen 1.2% on Monday, before a software glitch forced trading on the Australian Securities Exchange to halt 20 minutes from open.
A jump in oil prices pushed energy stocks to their highest in five months, with heavyweights Woodside Petroleum, up 3.2%, and Santos, gaining 3.5%, among the biggest boosts to the sub index. Financials hit their highest since early March, with the “Big Four” banks adding between 0.7% and 3%.
In New Zealand, the benchmark extended its winning streak to an eleventh session, rising 0.2% to a record close of 12,765.03 points. Local shares of Westpac Banking Corp and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group were the top percentage gainers, rising 2.8% and 3.1%, respectively.—Reuters
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