Australia: Shares higher as upbeat Wall St gives pre-Christmas lift

[SYDNEY] Australian shares edged higher on Wednesday as investors took a breather in a shortened Christmas Eve session and falling iron ore prices undercut an upbeat lead from Wall Street reaching a record high.

After slipping in early trading, the S&P/ASX 200 index recovered to close up 0.25 per cent or 13.58 points at 5394.50.

New Zealand's benchmark NZ50 share index closed 5.32 points higher at an all-time closing high of 5,557.42, also after a shortened session.

Markets in the two countries will reopen on Monday.

REUTERS