* Australian benchmark up 0.5%
* Gold stocks biggest boost to the index
* Afterpay surges on higher YTD sales
* Westpac down on lower H1 earnings view
* NZ shares propped up by tech, consumer firms
By Shashwat Awasthi
April 14 (Reuters) - Gold stocks lifted Australia's benchmark index to a near one-month high on Tuesday as prospects of dour corporate earnings globally amid the coronavirus-induced uncertainty pushed investors to pile into the safe-haven metal.
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO , trading for the first time after the Good Friday and Easter holidays, was up 0.5%, as of 0047 GMT, aided by a more than 8% surge in gold stocks .AXGD as investors stocked up on the precious metal.
Gold prices soared to their highest in more than seven years on Tuesday, as panicked investors opted for bullion on fears of coronavirus blow to the global economy. Australian benchmark index touched its highest level since March 16.
Energy stocks .AXEJ also supported the bourse as they firmed nearly 1% after a record output-cut deal by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies led by Russia. O/R
However, gains on the sub-index were moderate and crude prices remained mixed as wider concerns over plummeting demand caused by the pandemic weighed.
"The deal ... will provide a degree of relief, but the challenge for the oil market is that the fundamental collapse in demand is a lot bigger than 10 million barrels a day," ANZ Research analysts wrote in a note.
Broader sentiment was subdued ahead of the latest corporate earnings season, with both the Dow .DJI and S&P 500 .SPX sliding overnight. .N
Major Wall Street banks, often considered key barometers of the global economy, begin reporting earnings this week and are expected to provide bleak forecast due to pandemic-fuelled uncertainty.
"To be sure, the near-term picture for corporate earnings is dire as the first-quarter earnings season kicks off," analysts at BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) said.
News-driven moves saw no. 2 lender Westpac WBC.AX give up 1.7% after the bank pointed to lower first-half earnings and higher credit losses. Afterpay APT.AX soared almost 18% to a more than one-month high after the buy-now-pay-later firm said its year-to-date sales had more than doubled. financial markets, a bright spot came in the form of a drop in the daily growth rate of new coronavirus cases in Australia on Monday. However, officials warned that it was too soon to start easing social distancing rules or reopen the economy. New Zealand, the main S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 jumped 1.2%, supported by gains in technology and consumer stocks.