Bucking the upward trend, gold stocks tumbled up to 1.6%, as bullion prices slumped with a stronger dollar and elevated US Treasury yields hammering non-yielding metal's appeal.
Energy stocks rose marginally, but gains were limited by fuel supplier Viva Energy Group, which fell as much as 2.1% after reporting a full-year loss compared to a profit in the previous year.
Financials slipped 0.9% but were set to add about 1% for the week. QBE Insurance gave up 3.3% after it posted a bigger annual loss than it had forecast and skipped a final dividend as COVID-19-related provisions and catastrophe claims surged.