The Australian share market finished higher on Friday ahead of the United States jobs report, with the benchmark S&P/ASX200 (INDEXASX: XJO) index gaining 28.7 points, or 0.4%, to 6,954.2, while the broader All Ordinaries (INDEXASX: XAO) added 25.5 points, also 0.4%, to 7,143.0.
The Australian sharemarket rebounded from 11-month lows on Thursday, notching a small gain as markets braced for the official US jobs data on Friday night Australian time.
The Australian sharemarket closed at its lowest point in 11 months on Wednesday, hampered by a weak lead-in from Wall Street, and its interest-rate worries.
The Australia share market retreated to a six-month low on Tuesday, as global markets felt the pressure from surging bond yields – despite, in Australia’s case, the Reserve Bank leaving the official cash rate on hold at 4.1 per cent, for a fifth straight month.
It was relatively quiet on the ASX on Monday with traders eyeing the Reserve Bank of Australia’s latest interest-rate decision, to be announced today (and a public holiday in most states dampening activity further).
The local share market fell for a second straight day on Tuesday, ahead of a flurry of central bank meetings, and following the release of a set of minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia that were taken as implying that the local central bank is considered raising rates.
The local share market started the week lower, ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s two-day policy meeting, which begins on Tuesday.
A positive mood on Friday lifted the benchmark Australian index, the S&P/ASX 200 (INDEXASX: XJO), by 92.5 points, or 1.3%, to 7,279 points, in its best day since July. That helped push the index to a 1.7% rise for the week.
The Australian August job report blew expectations out of the water, with 64,900 jobs created in the month, well above the 23,000 anticipated by economists.
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