Australia's share market has ended the week lower as easing geopolitical worries could not counterbalance sluggish interest rate-sensitive stocks after local economic data pointed to incoming rate hikes.
The S&P/ASX200 gained 11.4 points on Friday, up 0.13 per cent to 8,860.1, as the broader All Ordinaries rose 17.4 points, or 0.19 per cent, to 9,189.9.
The top-200 was down roughly 0.5 per cent since Monday after surprisingly robust jobs figures narrowed market bets on incoming Reserve Bank interest rate cuts.
"Overall, the ASX200 had another day of gains, still rebounding back from the lows we saw in the first half of the week, but it wasn't convincing," IG market analyst Tony Sycamore told AAP.
"So in a volatile week, to finish down half a per cent almost feels like a little bit of a win and the drag, when I look at the weekly performance, it has really come from the interest rate-sensitive sectors."
Gold hit a new peak of $US4,967 ($A7,252) on Friday and broke its personal best in four of the week's five trading sessions as central bank buying, greenback weakness and safe-haven demand continued to provide tailwinds.
Utilities stocks outperformed the other sectors, surging by more than five per cent since Monday, while the heavyweight financials segment tumbled two per cent and wiped out more than the previous week's gains.
The big four banks all traded lower on Friday as concerns about the sector's frothy valuations persisted, sending investors elsewhere looking for growth.
Raw materials rallied 1.4 per cent on Friday as gold stocks charged higher, while BHP was the best of the iron ore giants with a 0.7 per cent boost.
Alcoa shares fell 0.8 per cent despite a strong finish to 2025, with improved production and higher alumina prices.
The energy sector shed 0.2 per cent on Friday but ended the week 3.7 per cent higher, tracking with a lift in oil prices as US-EU tensions eased and a positive run for most coal producers and uranium stocks.
The ASX tech segment topped the bourse in the final session, lifting almost four per cent as tracking Software Life360 rocketed 27 per cent, propelled by solid earnings and a guidance upgrade.
Zooming out, however, IT stocks were down almost 0.7 per cent for the week and sector value was on par with March 2025, which followed a steep dip as President Trump geared up for his Liberation Day tariffs.
Droneshield was the top-200's weakest performer on Friday, easing 5.5 per cent after a strong prior session, but the defence technology stock still ended the week higher.
The Australian dollar is buying 68.50 US cents, trading at 15-month highs against the greenback and up from 68.05 US cents on Thursday at 5pm.
The Aussie has been bolstered by interest rate hike expectations in the wake of Thursday's labour force report, strong economic data from China, surging precious metals prices and an improvement in broader risk sentiment.
ON THE ASX:
* The S&P/ASX200 rose 11.4 points, or 0.13 per cent, to 8,860.1
* The broader All Ordinaries gained 17.4 points, or 0.19 per cent, to 9,189.9
CURRENCY SNAPSHOT:
One Australian dollar trades for:
* 68.50 US cents, from 68.05 US cents at 5pm AEDT on Thursday
* 108.643 Japanese yen, from 108.02 Japanese yen
* 58.28 euro cents, from 58.21 euro cents
* 50.74 British pence, from 50.67 British pence
* 115.87 NZ cents, from 116.16 NZ cents
