ASX edges up after busy results week; Westpac continues gains

The Australian sharemarket opened higher on Friday as utilities and financials led gains, with investors digesting a major week of corporate earnings.
The S&P/ASX 200 index added 23.20 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8897.00 at 10.16am AEST , with five of the 11 index sectors stronger.
Financials were stronger for a second consecutive session as Westpac jumped 1.6 per cent after rising to its highest level in over a decade on Thursday. ANZ and National Australia Bank firmed 0.6 per cent, while Commonwealth Bank gained 0.4 per cent.
Utilities also advanced as Origin Energy rose 1.8 per cent following a strong rally in the prior session.
Baby Bunting was among the biggest risers on the bourse, up 27 per cent after its annual profit guidance for this fiscal year came in 12 per cent ahead of analyst expectations.
Stocks in focus
In corporate news, Cochlear edged up 0.3 per cent as it expects to post an 11 to 17 per cent increase in fiscal 2026 underlying net profit from higher sales of new devices in developed markets.
Mirvac fell 2 per cent as it said net earnings for security holders swung to a profit of $68 million in the year to June from a previous loss of $805 million, even as full-year revenue fell 10 per cent to $2.74 billion.
Amcor dived 11 per cent as fourth-quarter net sales reached US$5.08 billion ($7.8 billion), up 43 per cent on a constant currency basis, with adjusted EBIT of $611 million, up 34 per cent, following the completion of its all-stock acquisition of Berry Global.

Sumber : AFR