* Miners, financials log modest gains, boost index
* Gold stocks retreat as trade worries ease
* Medical tech firm Nanosonics top gainer, posts record earnings (Updates to close)
By Devika Syamnath
Aug 27 (Reuters) - Australian shares closed higher on Tuesday, recovering some of the ground lost in the previous session after comments from U.S. President Donald Trump raised hopes that the United States and China will de-escalate their trade war.
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO closed 0.5%, or 31.1 points higher at 6,471.2. It lost 1.3% in the previous session when new retaliatory tariffs from U.S. and China had battered market sentiment.
Trump later on Monday flagged the possibility of a trade deal with China and said he believed Beijing was sincere in its desire to reach an agreement. MKTS/GLOB
Iron ore is Australia's biggest export and China its top trade partner, making miners of the steel-making material especially sensitive to developments in the trade war.
Australian iron ore miners BHP Group BHP.AX , Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) Ltd RIO.AX and Fortescue Metals FMG.AX finished between 0.8% and 5.3% higher, after sharp losses on Monday.
The country's banking stocks, the weightiest on the benchmark, also rose 0.5%. This was despite news that Australia's big banks will face potential penalties within the next six months for breaching money laundering laws. the "big four" banks, Westpac Banking Corp WBC.AX closed flat, while the others gained between 0.4% and 0.9%.
High-growth tech stocks .AXIJ also surged 3.2%, following overnight moves from tariff-sensitive Wall Street peers such as Apple Inc AAPL.O . buy-now-pay-later firm Afterpay Touch Group APT.AX was the second biggest gainer on the benchmark, up 7.8%.
Medical tech firm Nanosonics NAN.AX topped gains, soaring 32.7% to close at a record high after posting record full-year sales and stronger profit. gold stocks .AXGD bucked the trend to shed 3.2%, as the recovery in risk appetite led to a retreat from safe-haven assets.
The country's biggest gold miner Newcrest Mining Ltd NCM.AX lost 1.5% while Northern Star Resources NST.AX lost most, droping 6.6%.
Across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand's benchmark .NZ50 added 29.7 points or 0.3% to end at 10,513.1600.
Dairy giant a2 Milk Company Ltd ATM.NZ added 1.3% while transport provider Tourism Holdings THL.NZ rose 5.3% and was the top gainer on the index.