The Australian sharemarket extended its winning streak to a sixth consecutive session on Thursday, buoyed by improved risk sentiment and growing confidence in progress on United States trade agreements.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 rose 19.4 points, or 0.2%, to close at 8,145.6. Gains were broad-based, with eight of the 11 sectors finishing in positive territory.
The rate-sensitive technology and real estate sectors outperformed, following better-than-expected earnings from U.S. tech giants Microsoft and Meta.
Local tech names Xero, Computershare, and Wisetech Global registered gains of 3.2%, 0.9%, and 6.6%, respectively.
Among real estate stocks, Goodman Group lifted 3.2% and Charter Hall rose 3%, although Stockland and Lendlease declined 0.6% apiece.
Mining majors underperformed, dragged down by softer iron ore prices. BHP slipped 0.9%, while Rio Tinto dropped 1% and Fortescue Metals eased 0.1%.
Energy stocks also fell in line with weaker oil prices, with Woodside down 2.6% and Santos falling 1.5%.
Among individual companies, Judo Bank tumbled 16.9% after issuing a surprise third-quarter update that warned lending growth would fall short of its February guidance.
Platinum Asset Management jumped 11.4% after L1 Capital revealed talks to merge with the fund manager.
Woolworths rose 1.2% after reporting a sharp rise in e-commerce sales to A$2.2 billion in the first quarter.
On the bond markets, the 10-year Australian government bond yield rose 0.9% to 4.146%, while the two-year yield gained 0.1% to 3.273%.
