Australia: Shares close 0.6% higher

[SYDNEY] Australian shares bucked a poor performance by Wall Street to edge 0.6 per cent higher on Thursday, aided by a hunt for dividend yield and more merger action.

The S&P/ASX 200 index rose to 4976.20 at the close of trade. The benchmark gained 0.6 per cent on Thursday.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index was stable, gaining 0.12 per cent or 7.8 points to finish the session at 6,149.70.

REUTERS