Positive finish to week: Aus shares closed 0.8% higher

The market finished positively today, with 10 out of 11 sectors in the green. Strong trading volumes were seen in Telstra Corporation (ASX:TLS), Fortescue Metals (ASX:FMG), South32 (ASX:S32), Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) and Beach Energy (ASX:BPT).

At the closing bell, the S&P/ASX 200 was 0.8 per cent or 61 points higher at 7,443. Over the week, it closed 0.2 per cent or 14 points lower.

Futures

The Dow Jones futures are pointing to a rise of 43 points.
The S&P 500 futures are pointing to a rise of 5 points.
The Nasdaq futures are pointing to a rise of 28 points.
The SPI futures are pointing to a rise of 60 points when the market next opens.

Best and worst performers

The best-performing sector was Materials, up 2.3 per cent. The worst-performing sector was Health Care, down 0.2 per cent.

The best-performing stock in the S&P/ASX 200 was James Hardie Industries (ASX:JHX), closing 5.2 per cent higher at $56.48. It was followed by shares in IGO (ASX:IGO) and Champion Iron (ASX:CIA).

The worst-performing stock in the S&P/ASX 200 was Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (ASX:FPH), closing 3.19 per cent lower at $29.74. It was followed by shares in Nearmap (ASX:NEA) and Monadelphous Group (ASX:MND).

Asian markets

Japan's Nikkei has gained almost 1 per cent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng has gained 0.2 per cent.
China's Shanghai Composite has lost 0.01 per cent.

Wall Street

Over the last four trading days, the Dow Jones lost 1.1 per cent, the S&P 500 lost 1 per cent and the Nasdaq lost 1.7 per cent.

Commodities and the dollar

Gold is trading at US$1856.56 an ounce.
Iron ore is 5.3 per cent higher at US$94.20 a ton.
Iron ore futures are pointing to a fall of 2.6 per cent.
Light crude is trading $0.66 lower at US$79.76 a barrel.
One Australian dollar is buying 72.84 US cents.