Australian shares jumped 1.1 per cent on Friday, nudging into positive territory for the week as hopes of more stimulus in Europe and a rebound in the prices of iron ore and oil buoyed the sentiment.
In its first two-day winning streak for the year, the S&P/ASX 200 index gained 52.0 points, or 1.1 per cent, to finish at 4,916.0, a rise of 0.5 per cent for the week. The benchmark is down 7.2 per cent so far in 2016.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index rose 40.7 points, or 0.7 per cent, to close at 6,121.6, down 0.8 per cent for the week.