Australian shares grind higher for second straight week

ASX
Six of 11 local sectors were trading higher, with financials, IT stocks and real estate doing well. -AAP Image

Australian shares have finished the week higher, buoyed by a Reserve Bank interest rate cut but with global risks capping investor exuberance.

On Friday the S&P/ASX200 rose 12.7 points, or 0.15 per cent, to 8,361.4, as the broader All Ordinaries lifted 16 points, or 0.19 per cent, to 8,587.4.

Six of 11 local sectors traded higher on Friday, with banks, energy stocks, real estate and tech companies helping lift the bourse.

The top-200 has made gains in five of the past six weeks and put the index within 2.2 per cent of its mid-February all-time peak.

The Australian dollar is buying 64.36 US cents, down slightly from Thursday afternoon's 64.38 US cents.

It has ranged between 63.5 US cents and 65 US cents since mid-April.