Australian shares snapped a four-day losing streak to end 0.2 percent higher on Friday helped by gains in banks and miners but weak energy stocks capped increases. The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 11.6 points to 5,454.3 at the close of trade. The benchmark lost 0.4 percent on Thursday. The index shed 1.7 percent this week, after four weeks of gains.
New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index ended 0.4 percent higher to finish Friday's session at 5,483.99 points. The market has taken pulled back in the last four sessions amid a slump in commodity prices and on further signs of a slowdown in China, which accounts for 36 percent of Australia's total exports.
On Thursday, China reported below-forecast factory output and investment growth at a near-13-year low. "With no economic releases on the agenda and ahead of the G20 summit in Brisbane over the weekend we saw a very quiet Friday morning," Tristan K'Nell, head of trading at Quay Equities said. "It is likely we will continue to drift in and out of negative territory with little incentives for buyers to enter the market," K'Nell added. Financials, consumer discretionary and healthcare stocks were in the black with the major banks up 0.3 to 0.9 percent.
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