Australian Shares Edge up Again to Hit Eight-Day High

The local share market has finished higher for a fourth day in a row, this time amid solid gains for Coles and plumbing group Reece. Just as it did Feb. 26, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Feb. 27 shrugged off its midday losses to close slightly higher, rising 10.2 points, or 0.13 per cent, to an eight-day peak of 7,663.0. The broader All Ordinaries rose 14.1 points, or 0.18 per cent, to 7,922.2. Six of the ASX’s 11 sectors finished higher and five closed lower. Consumer staples was the biggest mover, rising 2.2 per cent on strong gains for Coles and Endeavour Group Coles finished up 5.5 per cent to a six-month high of $16.75 (US$10.97) after the supermarket group announced better-than-expected earnings that eToro market analyst Josh Gilbert said would have shareholders breathing a sigh of relief....