Australian shares edged higher on Thursday as falls in energy and materials stocks were offset by an afternoon rally in the tech and healthcare sectors.
The S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.5 per cent, adding 35.1 points to the benchmark to end the day with 6794.3 points. The broader S&P All Ordinaries index gained 43.2 points to 7018.4 points, putting it 0.6 per cent higher.
Out of the index’s 11 sectors, seven posted gains with tech, communications and healthcare leading the charge. On the other side of the ledger, energy, real estate and utilities fell.
Mining companies operating in lithium exploration had a good day after electric vehicle maker Tesla beat profit expectations and forecast annual sales growth of about 50 per cent for the forseeable future. Novonix jumped 11.7 per cent to $2.49, Liontown Resources gained 11.2 per cent to $1.24 and Pilbara Minerals added 3.2 per cent to $2.56.
Oncology company Telix Pharmaceuticals was the session’s winner with a 20.6 per cent jump to $6.72 after posting $22.5 million in global sales for its Illucix cancer imaging and diagnosis product.
Shares in marine transport and tourism services provider Kelsian rallied 14.7 per cent to $6.24 after revealing it does not intend to make an offer for UK transport operator Go-Ahead Group. The business had previously expressed an interest in acquiring the outfit.
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