Financials helped drive Australian shares higher on Tuesday, the same day the country's central bank kept rates unchanged in a widely expected decision. The S&P/ASX 200 index climbed 0.5 percent to close at 6,210.2. The benchmark had fallen 0.3 percent on Monday.
Late into the session, the Reserve Bank of Australia said it kept its cash rate at 1.5 percent, an accommodative stance that policymakers have signalled will continue for some time to come. Financial stocks saw healthy gains over the session, following a somewhat subdued start, with the main financial index rising close to 1 percent.
The so-called "Big Four" banks all traded in positive territory, up between 0.7 percent and 1.8 percent.
Top miner BHP fell 1.6 percent, while Rio Tinto slid 3 percent to a near two-month low. New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index rose 1.2 percent, or 111.12 points to finish the session at 9,053.59.
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