Australia: Shares extend gains

[SYDNEY] Australian shares extended their record-breaking spree to a fifth session on Monday, mainly driven by mining stocks that gained on strong metal prices.

The S&P/ASX 200 index touched a fresh peak of 7,092.50 points before paring some gains to finish at 7,079.50, a new record closing high.

The benchmark, which crossed the 7,000 threshold in one of the sessions last week, had capped a weekly gain of about 2 per cent, aided chiefly by the positive sentiment around the midweek sealing of the Phase 1 Sino-US trade deal.

Across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index closed about 0.5 per cent lower at 11,746.95.

REUTERS