By Oliver Gray
Investing.com - The S&P/ASX 200 added 29 points or 0.4% to 6,650.6 during Thursday’s trading session, extending gains for the third consecutive session.
Among stocks, Information Technology led the gains, up 2.1% as Appen Ltd (ASX:APX) added 1%, Megaport Ltd (ASX:MP1) lifted 1.5%, Link Administration Holdings Ltd (ASX:LNK) added 2.1% and Novonix Ltd (ASX:NVX) gained 3.4%.
Materials added 1.6% collectively, with Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX:RIO) up 2%, BHP Billiton Ltd (ASX:BHP) adding 1.3%, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX:FMG) up 2.5% and Champion Iron Ltd (ASX:CIA) adding 2.7%.
Energy gained 1.7% as Woodside Energy Ltd (ASX:WDS) gained 1.6% and Santos Ltd (ASX:STO) added 1.5% while Viva Energy Group Ltd (ASX:VEA) dipped 0.7%.
Real estate companies retreated 1.2% as Mirvac Group (ASX:MGR) fell 2.4%, Goodman Group (ASX:GMG) dipped 1%, Charter Hall Group (ASX:CHC) lost 2% and Stockland Corporation Ltd (ASX:SGP) fell 1.6%.
Financials were down 0.8% as Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX:MQG) eased 0.2%, Commonwealth Bank Of Australia (ASX:CBA) lost 1.5%, National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX:NAB) dipped 0.5%, Westpac Banking Corp (ASX:WBC) lost 1.1% and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX:ANZ) dipped 2.2%.
On the data front, employment figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed net employment had surged 88.4K in June versus 30K expected, accelerating from gains of 60.6K in the previous month.
On the bond markets, Australia 10-Year rates were at 3.444% while United States 10-Year yields were at 2.924%.
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 added 0.7% to 11,188.