End-of-day summary:
Aussie shares rose for the first time in five sessions after market-friendly economic data helped Wall Street rally into a long weekend.
The ASX 200 bounced 61 points or 0.79% as investors took advantage of pullbacks last week in gold miners, REITs, telcos and supermarkets. The day's best performers included Neuren Pharmaceuticals, Lendlease and HMC Capital. Telstra, Goodman Group and Coles were the pick of the ASX 20 group of market heavyweights.
Buying interest was stoked by a recovery in US stocks on Friday heading into tonight's Memorial Day market holiday. The S&P 500 gained 0.7% as durable goods and inflation expectation figures soothed worries about the outlook for interest rates and the economy.
