Australia: Shares end up 0.7% on resources lift

[MELBOURNE] Australian shares closed 0.7 per cent up on Tuesday, stoked by steel, mining and energy stocks, with commodities benefiting from better risk appetite as oil prices hit six-month highs due to supply worries.

The S&P/ASX 200 index climbed to 5,395.90 points by the close of trade. The benchmark ended up 0.6 per cent on Monday.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index climbed 0.9 per cent, or 60.7 points, to 6,974.9 points, having marked a new record high at 6,988.38.

REUTERS