Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Business

Australia shares finish near one-month highs; NZ up

A visitor takes a photograph of a board displaying stock prices at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in Sydney, Australia March 6, 2017. REUTERS/Steven Saphore

(Reuters) - Australian shares ended broadly firmer for a fourth straight session on Wednesday, tracking record highs on Wall Street that was helped by a rebound in technology stocks.

The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 1.1 percent, or 61.13 points, to 5,833.9, its highest close in a month.

The benchmark added 1.7 percent on Tuesday in its best day in seven months.

Investors are awaiting clarity on the future path of U.S. monetary policy from a two-day Federal Reserve meeting where it is widely expected to raise rates. The central bank is due to announce its monetary policy decision at 1800 GMT.

Financials stocks were the top gainers, with Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the biggest by market value, rising 1.4 percent.

CBA's 'Big Four' peers rose in a range of 0.6 percent to 1.7 percent.

Gold stocks guided the metals and miners index higher, while mining giants BHP and Rio Tinto held steady.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index closed up 0.6 percent, or 43.91 points, at 7,483.99.

Fisher & Pay Healthcare Corp and Spark New Zealand were the biggest gainers on the benchmark by weight, adding 1.7 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively.

(Reporting by Rushil Dutta in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.