Australian shares edged 0.1 percent higher on Friday, boosted by solid earnings from Santos Ltd which supported the energy sector, though gains were tempered as some stocks traded ex-dividend. Santos jumped 3.9 percent to A$15.16, its highest since November 2013. The S&P/ASX 200 index added 6.7 points to 5,645.6 at the close of trade, and gained 1.4 percent for the week, climbing for a second week. The benchmark posted its seventh consecutive session of gains, its longest such streak since mid-July.
New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index added 0.3 percent, or 14.1 points to 5,167.0. Santos Ltd soared 3.4 percent to A$15.07, its highest since November 2013, after the oil and gas producer beat forecasts with a 3 percent rise in first-half core profit. Among other oil and gas producers, Oil Search Ltd added 0.4 percent, while Woodside Petroleum Ltd advanced 0.3 percent. The benchmark index hit a 5-1/2 week trough of 5,509.0 on August 8, but has since jumped some 150 points to trade at six-year highs, underpinned by a robust earnings season.
A handful of stocks also went ex-dividend, with Fairfax Media Ltd sliding 3.2 percent, Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd down 1.7 percent, and casino operator Echo Entertainment Ltd falling 2.8 percent. Crown Resorts Ltd rose 1.6 percent after the Victorian State government extended the licence for its biggest casino by 17 years and scrapped a tax on high rollers. Atlas Iron Ltd dropped 4.7 percent to two-week lows of A$0.65.