By Chris Thomas
Jan 4 (Reuters) - Australian shares rose to their best level in nearly 10 years on Thursday, with miners and healthcare stocks at the forefront as solid gains on Wall Street and strong oil prices also inspired buying in the region.
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO rose as much as 0.5 percent to 6,102.2, its highest since January 2008. The benchmark had risen 0.2 percent on Wednesday.
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 index rose above 2,700 for the first time on Wednesday and other major indexes hit record closing highs as technology stocks climbed after signs of robust economic growth. .N
U.S. factory activity increased more than expected in December, boosted by a surge in new orders growth, in a further sign of strong economic momentum at the end of 2017. MKTS/GLOB
Aussie shares were propped up by miner BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) BHP.AX , which also has a large exposure to oil, and Woodside Petroleum WPL.AX , after oil prices shot through the roof over escalating tensions in Iran, a major oil and gas producer. O/R
"What's going on here is that geopolitics is back in play as a result of the proxy war between the Saudis and Iranians across the region," Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at CFD and FX provider AxiTrader, said in a note.
"But geopolitics has become a bigger factor now that the Iranian protest movement has launched into the open in the past week."
BHP rose advanced 1.4 percent to its highest since May, 2015, and was headed for its eighth straight session of gains, while Woodside surged to a near two-and-a-half year high.
The Australian energy index .AXEJ climbed as much as 1 percent to its highest since July, 2015.
Elsewhere, a source said Vale SA VALE3.SA is in talks with BHP over the future of their joint venture, Samarco Mineração SA, with a buyout of BHP's stake in the venture by the Brazilian miner possibly on the table. giants CSL Ltd CSL.AX and Cochlear Ltd COH.AX also contributed to the gains on the index, rising 1.6 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively.
Toll road developer Transurban Group TCL.AX capped the gains on the index, dropping 1.1 percent to its lowest in over three weeks.
Meanwhile, the benchmark New Zealand index .NZ50 continued to hover around record highs in low-volume trade, with Auckland International Airport AIA.NZ moving up 2.1 percent to a two-week best.