News: XIJ Australia shares end higher on broad-based rally; Powell's speech in focus

	  U.S. Fed Chair testimony on Tue, Wed 

	  Telstra hits 3-month high 

	  Tech stocks rise for third straight session 

	  Commonwealth Bank of Australia touches record-high 

Australian shares ended higher on Tuesday in a broad-based rally, tracking a record Wall Street finish overnight, while investors awaited Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's testimony to gauge the outlook on interest rates.

The S&P/ASX 200 benchmark index (xjo) closed 0.9% higher at 7,829.7 points, after falling 0.8% on Monday.

Market players will closely watch Powell's testimony in Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday for hints of a dovish tone after signs of an easing labour market last week revived hopes of a September rate cut. FEDWATCH

Central banks around the world, including the Reserve Bank of Australia, will be looking at the Fed's move to chart their interest rate trajectory.

In Wall Street, S&P 500 .SPX and Nasdaq .IXIC touched new record highs overnight.

Gains in the local bourse were led by financials .AXFJ , which rose 1.4% to close at a two-week high. The country's top lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) climbed 1.8% to a record high.

"I think banks remain popular for any funds that want exposure to Australian stocks but don’t wish to be exposed to the uneven Chinese economy or its property sector," said Tony Sycamore, a market analyst at IG Australia.

Miners .AXMM gained 0.6%, tracking broader market sentiment despite falling iron ore prices. BHP (BHP) and Rio Tinto (RIO) added 0.6% each.

Tech stocks .AXIJ rose for the third straight day with a gain of 0.8%, amid a AI-driven rally in global chipmakers.

Nvidia NVDA.O rose almost 2% on Monday, while the world's largest contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) 2330.TW TSM.N briefly touched a market cap of $1 trillion as its U.S. stock reached a record high.

Buy now-pay later firm Zip (ZIP) ended 4.3% higher and tech major Megaport (MP1) closed 1.6% higher.

Telecom firm Telstra (TLS) closed up 2.2%, notching a three-month high, after it raised mobile phone pricing plans.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index (nz50) rose 0.9% to a three-week high.

The country's central bank is widely expected to deliver a hawkish hold on Wednesday.