(Reuters) - Australian shares climbed to a two-week high on Wednesday, underpinned by materials and energy stocks as commodity prices rose amid a broad improvement in global investors' sentiment.
The S&P/ASX 200 index <.AXJO> ended up 0.5 percent or 28.50 points at 6,190.00, after dipping 0.4 percent on Tuesday.
Materials accounted for the majority of the gains, bolstered by a sharp rise in Shanghai copper prices as investors shrugged off an escalation of the U.S.-China trade row. [MET/L]
Appetite for mining stocks was also supported by a 1.3 percent jump in Dalian iron ore futures <DCIOcv1>. [IRONORE/]
BHP <BHP.AX> rose 2.9 percent to a two-week high and was the biggest boost to the benchmark, while rival Rio Tinto Ltd <RIO.AX> advanced 3.1 percent to its highest since August 9.
Higher bullion prices also boosted gold miners. Newcrest Mining Ltd <NCM.AX> rose 1 percent, while Evolution Mining Ltd <EVN.AX> strengthened 0.8 percent. [GOL/]
Energy stocks <.AXEJ> were among top gainers, helped by an overnight jump in oil prices. Index heavyweight Woodside Petroleum Ltd <WPL.AX> firmed 0.8 percent, while Santos Ltd <STO.AX> climbed 2.2 percent to a more than three-year high.
In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index <.NZ50> firmed 0.3 percent or 29.29 points to finish the session at a three-week high of 9,345.06.
Utilities were among the top gainers, with Mercury NZ Ltd <MCY.NZ> rising 1.8 percent to a more than one-week high.
(Reporting by Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill)
