Welcome to your recap of the trading day.

The numbers

The Australian sharemarket has shaken off its reservations from early in the week and posted strong gains on Thursday, with gold producers leading a rally in mining stocks and big four banks bouncing higher.

The S&P/ASX 200 finished 100.20 points, or 1.1 per cent, higher at 8945.90, with eight of its 11 industry sectors in the green. The Australian dollar was fetching US66.15¢ at 4.43pm AEST.

Wall Street continued to power higher, setting the scene for gains on the ASX. Credit: AP

The lifters

BHP (up 1.1 per cent) clawed back some of Wednesday’s losses even as the escalating row over iron ore exports between the mining giant and China remains unresolved . Its shares fell 2.5 per cent in the previous session on reports that C

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