Australia shares end up 0.5%

Australian stocks trimmed gains to close up 0.5 percent on Wednesday as interest in the banks tapered late in the day,while a pick up in deal activity spurred bargain hunting.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index gained 24.4 points to finish at 4,532.6,according to the latest data,adding to a 56.5 point gain on Tuesday.

New Zealand’s benchmark NZX 50 index gave up 2.1 points to end at 3,457.5.

The top miners rose between 1.1 and 1.5 percent,while the big four banks rose between 0.2 and 0.8 percent.