The S&P/ASX 200 index was flat at 7250.9 points by 1233 GMT. The benchmark closed 0.1% lower on Wednesday. Interest rate-sensitive financial stocks slipped as much as 0.6%, losing for a second straight session after a three-day winning streak.
Among the country's top banks, National Australia Bank and Westpac Banking Corp gave up 0.1% and 3.3%, respectively.
The U.S. consumer price index rose 0.4% after gaining 0.1% in March. Although in the 12 months through to April, CPI increased 4.9%, less than the 5% year-on-year gain in March, indicating Fed might be succeeding in controlling inflation. Domestic miners advanced 0.3% to gain for the first time in three sessions.
Allkem Ltd topped the charts with a 14.3% jump,
hitting its highest level since November 2022, after the lithium
miner disclosed plans to merge with U.S.-based Livent Corp in an all-stock deal valued at $10.6 billion.
St Barbara advanced as much as 9% after the company
received a revised offer for its Leonara assets in Western
Australia from Silver Lake Resources .
Also leading the sub-index, Lake Resources and Pilbara Minerals advanced 10.8% and 6.2%, respectively. Energy stocks added 0.2% even as oil prices ticked up overnight, with sector majors Woodside Energy and Santos gaining 0.2% each. Separately, shares in James Hardie slipped 0.4% after the top fibre cement maker revealed proceedings brought against it alleging that the company breached some disclosure obligations.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index slipped 0.7% at 11909.9 points.
(Reporting by Roushni Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry
Jacob-Phillips)
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