End-of-day summary:
The ASX 200 briefly regained the 7000 level following a fifth day of gains as optimism over a possible US rates pause outweighed fears of a likely rate increase here tomorrow.
The Australian benchmark traded as high as 7009 before closing 19 points or 0.28% ahead at 6997. Westpac, CSL and Newmont led the charge of the heavyweights, with support from the rest of the banks. Most of the major miners and energy producers sat out the rally.
US futures were modestly positive in Sunday night trade following Wall Street's best week since November 2022. S&P 500 futures edged up 0.06%. On Friday, the broadest of the US share benchmarks sealed a weekly gain of 5.85% with a rise of 0.94%.
