Indian investors found a reason to cheer as Australian shares posted their strongest week in three, driven by a global surge in commodity and financial stocks. Softer U.S. jobs data has eased concerns about further interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve, boosting market sentiment. Miners and banks, key components of the Australian market, led the gains, with gold stocks experiencing a significant uplift.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index closed 0.5% lower at 8,778.70 on the final trading day of the current financial year. The index rose 3.5% for the quarter, its best since…

Australian shares kicked off the new financial year on a downbeat note, with banks leading the decline following disappointing housing price data. While miners, particularly…