Australian shares hit a two-and-a-half-month high on Thursday, with financial stocks powering the gains, after the country's central bank said the economic downturn due to the coronavirus crisis would likely be less severe than initially feared.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 closed 1.3% higher at 5,851.1, hovering near its strongest level since March 11. A sub-index of financial firms advanced 3.1% and was on track for its best week.
Financial stocks have rallied globally this week as countries reopen for business and investors buy into the sector, which was among the hardest hit by the pandemic and has so far lagged a recovery in broader markets.
New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 bourse dropped 1.7% to 10,856.69 after three straight sessions of gains.