Australian shares gained slightly after market opening on Friday, with a boost from WiseTech, which surged 14 per cent following the announcement of CEO Richard White’s departure after Thursday’s market close.
At 11:35am, the S&P/ASX 200 is 0.35 per cent higher at 8,235.30, recovering from a 0.1 per cent drop the previous day. The technology sector led gains, climbing 4.1%, with six out of eleven sectors advancing.
The SPI futures are pointing to a rise of 34 points.
Best and worst performers
The best-performing sector is Information Technology, up 4.05 per cent. The worst-performing sector is Consumer Staples, down 0.55 per cent.
The best-performing large cap is WiseTech Global (ASX:WTC), trading 14.08 per cent higher at $113.36. It is followed by shares in ResMed (ASX:RMD) and Whitehaven Coal (ASX:WHC).
The worst-performing large cap is Newmont Corporation (ASX:NEM), trading 10.82 per cent lower at $73.01. It is followed by shares in Mercury NZ (ASX:MCY) and Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN).
Commodities and the dollar
Gold is trading at US$2745.00 an ounce.
Iron ore is 1.0 per cent higher at US$99.25 a tonne.
Iron ore futures are pointing to a 2.27 per cent rise.
One Australian dollar is buying 66.33 US cents.