Nov 8 (Reuters) - Australian shares edged higher on Tuesday, supported by a surge on Wall Street as Hillary Clinton's prospects in the U.S. presidential election brightened, while copper prices leaped to an eight-month high. .N
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO rose 0.2 percent or 12.301 points to 6,920.180 by 1247 GMT, on track for its second consecutive gain. Clinton's chances improved after the FBI declared, two days before the election, that no criminal charges were warranted against Clinton over the use of a private email server. Democratic nominee led Republican rival Donald Trump by 6 percentage points among likely voters in a Monmouth University poll released on Monday. stance on foreign policy, immigration and trade worried markets - in contrast to Clinton's reputation as a "status quo" candidate. markets see greater chances of Clinton winning the election but there is no certainty, and if Trump wins there would be a big risk- off move," said Ric Spooner, market strategist at CMC Markets.
Market sentiment was supported by soaring copper prices, which were the highest since March, along with nickel which jumped the most in five years on Monday. materials dominated gains with the ASX 300 Metals and Mining Index .AXMM rising more than 2 percent.
Miner BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) BHP.AX gained 2.8 percent while Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) RIO.AX and South32 S32.AX edged up 2 percent and 2.4 percent respectively.
The ASX 200 Energy index .AXEJ moved almost 1 percent higher with Whitehaven Coal Ltd WHC.AX and WorleyParsons Ltd WOR.AX leading gains. Commonwealth Bank of Australia CBA.AX , the country's biggest bank by market value, fell nearly 1 percent after reporting flat first quarter cash earnings as higher funding costs tightened its margins. dissappointing results follow flat and declining cash earnings reported by other "Big Four" banks over the last two weeks.
Explosives and fertilizer maker Incitec Pivot IPL.AX fell 0.8 percent after it reported a 26 percent drop in annual underlying profit on Tuesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 edged up 0.7 percent or 52.350 points to 6,925 by 1236 GMT, extending gains into a second consecutive session.
Industrials and healthcare stocks were the biggest gainers with both Auckland International Airport AIA.NZ and Fisher and Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd FPH.NZ up almost 3 percent.
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