The Australian sharemarket finished higher on Friday, with gains in heavyweight mining and banking stocks offsetting broad-based weakness as investors weighed renewed conflict in the Middle East against the outlook for global interest rates.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 43.5 points, or 0.5%, to 8,806.0, despite eight of the 11 sectors closing lower.
For the week, the benchmark index slipped 0.4%.
The Materials sector led the market higher, with major miners rallying. BHP gained 2.5%, Rio Tinto climbed 3.8%, and Fortescue added 2.0%.
Gold miners also advanced after bullion prices settled 1.2% higher overnight, with Northern Star Resources rising 1.7%, Evolution Mining gaining 3.4%, and Newmont adding 1.6%.
Uranium stocks also attracted buying after Australia and India finalised an agreement enabling long-term uranium exports to India.
Paladin Energy rose 4.1%, while Deep Yellow surged 7.4%.
The Energy sector was mixed. Santos fell 0.4%, and Woodside Energy eased 0.9%, while Beach Energy gained 0.6% and Viva Energy added 0.5%.
Karoon Energy dropped 3.4% after the oil and gas producer flagged a 60-day extension of Brazil's temporary 12% crude oil export tax, which could weigh on earnings.
The Financial sector also provided support, with the major banks all finishing higher. Commonwealth Bank added 0.5%, National Australia Bank rose 0.8%, ANZ gained 0.8%, and Westpac advanced 0.9%.
Healthcare stocks were the biggest drag on the index. CSL fell 2.1%, Pro Medicus tumbled 6.3% to lead losses, and Telix Pharmaceuticals declined 4.0%.
Bravura Solutions surged 15.1% after upgrading its FY26 cash EBITDA guidance. The software company now expects unaudited cash EBITDA of A$77 million, up from its previous guidance range of $69 million to $73 million.
NextDC edged 0.8% higher after expanding its senior debt facilities to A$2.3 billion, up from the $1.8 billion announced in May, following additional commitments from domestic and international lenders.
On the bond markets, Australian government bond yields eased, with the 10-year yield falling 0.9% to 4.84% and the 2-year yield declining 1.1% to 4.459%.
