Australia, NZ: Shares end higher but post biggest weekly loss since Feb

[MELBOURNE] Australian shares ended up 0.3 per cent on Friday, but posted their biggest weekly loss since February as markets remained stuck in a holding pattern ahead of Britain's vote over whether it would leave the European Union.

The S&P/ASX 200 index closed 16.7 points higher at 5,162.70, down nearly 3 per cent for the week. The benchmark finished flat on Thursday when it plumbed the weakest level in nearly two months at 5,141.0.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index slipped by 0.6 per cent, or 41.5 points, to finish at 6,847. It also logged its biggest loss in four months at 1.8 per cent.

REUTERS