(Reuters) - Australian shares snapped a five-day losing streak on Thursday, aided by gains for gambling equipment marker Aristocrat Leisure that helped outweigh a continued fall for financial stocks.
The S&P/ASX 200 index <.AXJO> was up 0.1 percent, or 4.60 points, to 6,037.1 at the close of trade. The benchmark declined 0.2 percent on Wednesday.
Shares of Aristocrat Leisure Ltd <ALL.AX> climbed 8 percent to a record after it reported half-year net profit rose 2.8 percent, with digital revenue more than tripling for the period.
Real estate stocks also gained, with Scentre Group Ltd <SCG.AX> climbing 1.4 percent, while Lend Lease Group <LLC.AX> rose 2.5 percent.
Battered by the latest round of an embarrassing inquiry into misconduct in the industry, banks extended losses into a sixth straight session on Thursday. The financial index <.AXFJ> fell 0.5 percent to a four week low.
National Australia Bank Ltd <NAB.AX> declined 1.3 percent, while Commonwealth Bank of Australia <CBA.AX> dropped 0.2 percent to its lowest since Sept. 2016.
Materials also fell, underpinned by lower iron ore and copper prices. [IRONORE/] [MET/L]
Rio Tinto Ltd <RIO.AX> was down 1 percent, while Fortescue Metals Group Ltd <FMG.AX> slid 0.7 percent.
In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index <.NZ50> rose 0.4 percent or 37.54 points to finish the session at 8,590.77.
Dairy firm a2 Milk Company Ltd <ATM.NZ> rose 4.1 percent, accounting for most of the benchmark's gains.
(Reporting by Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
