News: XEJ Australian shares rise for second session on energy rally

June 22 (Reuters) - Australian shares advanced for a second consecutive session on Wednesday as markets tracked an overnight rally on Wall Street, with energy stocks leading the gains on the back of rising oil prices.

The S&P/ASX 200 index (xjo) rose 0.19% to 6,536.2 by 0059 GMT, adding to Tuesday's 1.41% jump.

Wall Street's major indexes jumped overnight as investors returned from a long weekend and bought up shares of megacap growth and energy companies hit last week by global economic worries.

Local investors also pushed back recession fears after Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Philip Lowe on Tuesday played down the chance of rates being increased by a super-sized 75 basis points.

Energy stocks .AXEJ advanced 2.8% to be the biggest gainers on the main index, after oil prices surged overnight on high summer fuel demand while supplies remained tight because of sanctions on Russian oil after its invasion of Ukraine.

Sector heavyweights Woodside Energy (WDS) and Santos (STO) rose 2.7% and 3.1%, respectively.

Financials .AXFJ , however, fell 2.1%, with the "Big Four" banks trading in negative territory. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) , the country's biggest lender, skidded 0.5%, while National Australia Bank (NAB) led losses with a fall of 0.7%.

Shares of fintech firm Humm Group (HUM) fell 6.7% to A$0.49 after the company's majority directors agreed to resign after a deal with digital payments and lending firm Latitude Group (LFS) fell through.

St Barbara (SBM) plunged 13.7% to A$0.975, its lowest in more than six years, after the gold miner announced a strategic review of its Simberi operations, and warned of a near-term risk of disruption to its Touquoy operation.

Across the Tasman sea, New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index (nz50) rose 0.7% to 10,776.

NZ-based respiratory products maker Fisher & Paykel (FPH) tumbled 2.2% to a one-week low of NZ$19.18 in ex-dividend trading.