Utility sector leading Australian shares higher at noon

The local share market is on track for its second day of gains, with every sector except health care in the green at lunchtime. At noon AEDT on Friday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 41 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 8,265.

0, while the broader All Ordinaries had gained 40.3 points, or 0.48 per cent, to 8,520.



2. For the week the ASX200 was on track to finish down 30 points, or 0.4 per cent, after a standout 2.

2 per cent gain the previous week following Donald Trump's victory. IG analyst Tony Sycamore said the domestic bourse was gaining following Thursday's "goldilocks style" jobs report, which showed the labour market gradually cooling following a spell of extraordinary resilience. The ASX's utilities sector was the biggest gainer at lunchtime, up 2.

6 per cent, as AGL rose 3.1 per cent and APA Group climbed 3.5 per cent.

The big four banks were all higher, with ANZ up by 1.3 per cent, Westpac adding 1.1 per cent, CBA advancing 0.

7 per cent and NAB up 0.3 per cent. In the heavyweight mining sector, goldminers were posting gains as the precious metal changed hands around $US2,569 an ounce.

Evolution was up 1.7 per cent and Northern Star had added 1.4 per cent.

The iron ore giants were mixed, with BHP gaining 0.3 per cent, Fortescue dipping 0.2 per cent and Rio Tinto basically flat.

CSL was weighing down the health care sector as the blood products giant dropped 2.4 per cent. In addition, Healius had plunged 15.

6 per cent to a six-month low of $1.3425 as managing director Paul Anderson told the pathology company's annual general meeting that cuts in the 2024/25 federal budget would mean pathology providers would be forced to introduce co-payments or close collection centres. In the energy sector, Peninsula Energy had plunged 24.

1 per cent to a four-year low of 6.3 cents announcing cost overruns at its Lance uranium development site in the US state of Wyoming and that its chief executive was stepping down. The Australian dollar was buying 64.

55 US cents, from 64.62 US cents at Thursday's ASX close..