By Myra P. Saefong
TOKYO (MarketWatch) -- Australian shares climbed early Friday morning, with shares of mining companies pacing the advance. The S&P/ASX 200 added 1.4% to 4,495.30 after tapping a high of 4,506.70 -- its strongest intraday level since May 17. Shares of BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP 38.41, +0.79, +2.10%) (BHP 65.46, +3.92, +6.37%) added 2.3%, Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO 68.92, +1.05, +1.55%) (RTP 48.18, +3.42, +7.64%) climbed 1.9% and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG 4.11, +0.15, +3.79%) (FSUMF 3.23, -0.04, -1.22%) rose 3.8% following speculation of potential changes to the Resource Super Profits Tax that may benefit some major miners. |
