At midday AEST on Monday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 49.8 points, or 0.64 per cent, to 7,827.7, while the broader All Ordinaries was up 49.8 points, or 0.62 per cent, to 8,040.5.
Nine of the ASX's 11 sector were higher at midday, with energy flat and materials down half a per cent.
The consumer discretionary space was the biggest gainer, rising 1.6 per cent as JB Hi-Fi soared 8.6 per cent to an all-time high of $73.14 on the back of better-than-expected full-year earnings results.
The home appliance and consumer electronics retailer announced it would pay a special dividend to shareholders after making $438.8 million in 2023/24 and reporting a strong start to the current fiscal year.
"In this tough retail environment where customers are seeking value, our brand continue to resonate strongly," group chief executive Terry Smart said.
Harvey Norman gained 4.7 per cent, Super Retail Group added 4.5 per cent and Cettire was up 8.0 per cent.
In the energy sector, Beach had sunk 11.1 per cent to a two-and-a-half year low of $1.2675 after the Kerry Stokes-backed gas producer scaled back its estimate of its proven and probable gas reserves.
Chief executive Brett Woods said a pressure decline at Beach's Enterprise gas field in Victoria near Port Campbell had led to the revision.
In industrials, Aurizon had dropped 7.6 per cent to a more than one-year low of $3.345 after the rail operator delivered a $406 million full-year net profit, up 11 per cent from last year but below analysts' expectations.
In the communications sector, CAR Group had grown 4.6 per cent to a three-week high of $35.20 after the carsales.com owner announced its full-year operating earnings had grown 17 per cent to $581 million.
"CAR Group has had another great year," said chief executive Cameron McIntyre.
"We have achieved excellent financial results in FY24 with double-digit revenue and earnings growth in all of our key geographies."
In the heavyweight mining sector, Rio Tinto was down 1.2 per cent, while BHP and Fortescue had both dipped 0.3 per cent.
All of the Big Four retail banks were higher, with NAB advancing 1.4 per cent, ANZ adding 1.2 per cent and Westpac and CBA both up 0.9 per cent.
The Australian dollar was buying 65.86 US cents, from 66.02 US cents at Friday's ASX close.
23°C