MW: Australian shares gain ground in early trading
By Sarah Turner
SYDNEY (MarketWatch) -- Australian shares gained on Tuesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 index AU:XJO +1.21% rising 0.6% to 4,220.40. Banks were taking back ground lost in the previous session, with Westpac Banking Corp. AU:WBC +1.12% WEBNF +0.19% shares up 0.6%. Miners were also advancing, with BHP Billiton Ltd. AU:BHP +1.27% BHP -0.86% up 1%. Airlines Qantas Airways Ltd. AU:QAN +4.53% , up 2.4%, and Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd. AU:VAH +3.41% , up 1.1%, gained after both firms were upgraded to outperform by Macquarie.
