The Australian sharemarket rose, driven by a rebound in tech stocks and gains from three of the big four banks, with the ASX 200 up 0.47% to 8,628.20. However, it fell 0.18% over the past week, ending a three-week gain streak. The Australian dollar weakened to 66.06 US cents, while the tech sector rose 2.06%, led by WiseTech Global and Xero. The Bank of Japan raised interest rates, signaling progress in combating deflation.
