End of Day Report

ASX 200 rises 26.8 points to 5252.2 as Japanese markets closed for holiday. Banks lead the rally ahead of results next week. China barely moved +0.19% with yuan fixing raised the most since 2005. AUD 76.51 US futures up 20. Yen at 18-month high against the USD. Another solid day with the banks performing better as results approach next week. Once again volume ($5.6bn) was hardly the stuff of brokers' dreams considering option expiry yesterday. With Japan closed for a holiday, there was nothing to upset the apple cart today. A steady grind higher with resources and healthcare adding to the gains. For the record we are up a massive 16 points for the week, or 0.3%. Big week next week. (VIEW LINK)