FX.co ★ Australian Shares Open Slightly Higher

The S&P/ASX 200 experienced a modest increase at the start of Thursday's trading session, rising by 0.2% to approximately 8,710 points. This was due to gains in the banking, healthcare, and technology sectors, which balanced out the declines in the mining sector. The financial sector, sensitive to interest rate changes, saw a 0.3% rise following three consecutive days of decline, with the "Big Four" banks experiencing increases ranging from 0.2% to 1.1%. The mixed inflation report for November has left the central bank's monetary policy direction unclear. Investors are now focusing on the forthcoming quarterly Consumer Price Index (CPI) data, expected later this month, to gain more insight into the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) policy decisions. Meanwhile, healthcare stocks advanced by 1.5%, and local technology stocks increased by 1.6%, mirroring the gains in the tech-heavy Nasdaq as investors showed renewed interest in AI-related stocks. Conversely, the mining sector declined by 0.3% following three consecutive sessions of record-high closings, as commodity prices dropped. Gold stocks also contributed to the downturn, falling by 0.8% as investors capitalized on lower bullion prices. Additionally, the smallest trade surplus in three months, reported for November, added further pressure to the overall market sentiment.