At the market close, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was up 35.50 points or 0.53 percent at 6,700.30, while the broader All Ordinaries index was up 44.60 points or 0.64 percent at 6,962.10.
While early gains tempered somewhat throughout the day, most sectors still managed to finish firmly higher with tech stock the most improved, largely on the back of a five percent jump by financial tech giant Afterpay.
Another big mover was A2 Milk, which surged 5.7 percent, following a pre-Christmas announcement that the company would acquire New Zealand dairy producer Mataura.
The move is expected to help A2 increase sales of its infant formula into China following the interruption of "daigou" reseller channels due to COVID-19.
In the financial space, the big banks lifted with Commonwealth Bank up (1.03 percent), ANZ up (0.56 percent), National Australia Bank up (0.48 percent) and Westpac Bank up (0.56 percent).
Mining stocks were mostly lower with Rio Tinto down (0.06 percent), BHP down (0.07 percent) and goldminer Newcrest down (0.88 percent), however Fortescue Metals was up (1.52 percent)
The country's oil and gas producers were mixed with Oil Search up (1.40 percent), Santos down (0.31 percent) and Woodside Petroleum up (1.01 percent).
Australia's largest supermarkets also varied with Coles unchanged (0 percent), and Woolworths down (0.38 percent).
Meanwhile, telecommunications giant Telstra lifted (0.33 percent), the national carrier Qantas took off (1.64 percent) and biomedical firm CSL dropped (0.08 percent).
Latest comments