Australian shares finished the month with strong gains as the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 climbed to a five-year high after ANZ Bank's $3 billion-plus half-year profit dragged its shares to a record $31.84.
ANZ's result pushed up other financial stocks. National Australia Bank surged 92c to $34, Commonwealth Bank jumped $1.85 to $73.45, Westpac gained 68c to $33.80 and Macquarie Bank added $1.32 to $33.80.
Stronger offshore markets helped, although analysts and fund managers were wary of overseas events that could affect share prices later this week.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 closed up 1.3 per cent at 5191.2 after hitting a record of 5195.1. Its 4.5 per cent rise for the month left the index up 12 per cent so far this year. Trades swelled to $5.5 billion versus the 20-day moving average of $4.2bn.
ANZ gained 5.8 per cent to a record $31.84 after its interim dividend rose 11 per cent to 73c and its first-half cash profit gained 10 per cent to $3.18bn, exceeding market expectations.
