Australian shares ended higher on Tuesday, snapping a five-session losing streak as they rode Wall Street's cheer after US senators struck a deal to end a three-day government shutdown. Wall Street's main indexes climbed to record highs after US lawmakers passed a short-term measure on Monday to fund the federal government through February 8.
The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 45.1 points to close at 6,037. The benchmark fell 0.2 percent on Monday, slipping below the 6,000 level for the first time this year. Financial stocks led the comeback, with the "Big Four" banks rising in a range of 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd gained 1.5 percent to settle at its best level since January 11. New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index fell 0.3 percent or 27.73 points to finish the session at 8,307.63.