* Energy, banking stocks lift Australian benchmark index
* CSL reaffirms FY2020 profit guidance, shares up 4.4%
* Top lender CBA gains as much as 3%
* NZ rises; banks, utilities among top gainers
By Sameer Manekar
April 9 (Reuters) - Australian shares rose more than 2% on Thursday, tracking gains on Wall Street as hopes that the new coronavirus pandemic is peaking in the United States bolstered sentiment, while a jump in crude oil prices lifted energy stocks.
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO added 2.2% to 5,320.1 by 0010 GMT after a 0.9% drop on Wednesday. For the week, it was up more than 4%.
Overnight, all three major U.S. indexes .DJI .SPX .IXIC climbed between 2.6% and 3.4% on hopes that the outbreak in the United States was nearing a peak. .N
In New York, new hospitalisations fell to 586 on Tuesday, down from 656 a day earlier, while other data suggested the state was "bending the curve" and gaining some control over the rate of infections, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. that the number of new daily coronavirus cases is plateauing are driving expectations that social distancing measures will be lifted soon in parts of the world," Stephen Innes, chief market strategist at AxiCorp, said in a note.
"Relaxing social distancing is the new 'risk-on' barometer."
In Australia, energy stocks .AXEJ were the top gainers, rising 3.8%, as U.S. crude futures jumped nearly 6% on expectations that top oil producers would agree on production cuts at a meeting later in the day. O/R
Woodside Petroleum WPL.AX advanced 3.6%, while Santos STO.AX climbed 4.5% to its highest in nearly a month.
Heavyweight financials .AXFJ gained 2.6%, with all the "Big Four" banks trading in positive territory. Top lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia CBA.AX and peer Westpac Banking Corp WBC.AX gained up to 3% each.
Among miners .AXMM , Fortescue Metals Group FMG.AX rose 2.5%, while Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) RIO.AX ticked up 1.6%, a day after it said it would go ahead with its $3.7 billion dividend payment plan this month. stocks .AXHJ added 3.3%, with biotech firm CSL Ltd CSL.AX jumping 4.4% after the company reaffirmed its profit forecast for 2020. New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose as much as 0.9% to 10,120.89.
Banks and utilities were among the top gainers, with Westpac Banking Corp's WBC.NZ local unit and electricity generator Contact Energy CEN.NZ rising 2.6% each.
Financial markets in Australia and New Zealand will be closed for holidays on Friday and Monday, and will resume trading on Tuesday, April 14.