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SYDNEY, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Australian shares ended higher on Friday, shaking off a negative lead from Wall Street after the head of the central bank made reassuring comments about the economy.
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO closed 0.5 percent, or 23.7 points, higher at 5,170.5, taking this week's gains to 2 percent.
Contributing to the positive session, all of the big four banks closed in the black, led by a 1.3 percent rally in Westpac Banking Corp WBC.AX .
RBA Governor Glenn Stevens gave an upbeat assessment of the economy, helping offset a more cautious tone from the Federal Reserve, which delayed a long-expected hike in U.S. interest rates. ID:nL4N11O1WN ID:nL1N11N244
New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index .NZ50 closed 0.3 percent, or 17.8 points, higher at 5,712.1.