The local share market has kept the positivity flowing, finishing slightly higher for its fourth straight day of gains.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index ended Thursday up 7.6 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 7,305.3, slightly over a two-week high. The broader All Ordinaries rose 11 points, or 0.15 per cent, to 7,517.8.
The ASX200 finished August down 1.4 per cent from where it began, snapping its two-month winning streak.
But traders will take it, given the index was down by as much as 4.3 per cent for the month just nine days ago.
The gains have mostly been driven by cooling inflation and softer economic data, which has supported the narrative that the global rate hiking cycle of central banks could soon come to an end.
That continued overnight in the US, where second-quarter gross domestic product figures were unexpectedly revised down to 2.1 per cent, further strengthening the case that the world's biggest economy is slowing.
But domestically, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Thursday that private capital expenditures increased 2.8 per cent in the June quarter, outperforming consensus expectations for a 1.0 per cent rise.
"Business investment looks set to have been a bright spot in an otherwise challenging quarter for the economy, with consumer activity slowing under the strain of rising interest rates," said Sean Langcake, head of macroeconomic forecasting for Oxford Economics Australia.
Tech company Brainchip was the biggest mover in the ASX200 on Thursday, climbing 6.7 per cent, followed by IGO which rose 5.5 per cent to $13.92 as the lithium and nickel miner reported financial results on the last day of earnings season.
IGO, which lost its managing director and CEO Peter Bradford to an untimely death in October, reported a 66 per cent jump in profit to $549 million.
Elsewhere in the mining sector, BHP added 0.3 per cent to $44.85, Fortescue was basically flat at $21.43 and Rio Tinto gained 0.6 per cent to $112.90.
All of the Big Four banks were higher, with CBA gaining 0.3 per cent to $102.18, ANZ adding 1.2 per cent to $25.33, Westpac advancing 1.1 per cent to $21.95 and NAB finishing 0.4 per cent higher at $28.96.
Harvey Norman finished up 5.2 per cent to a six-month high of $4.04 as the retailer reported a 30 per cent drop in full-year profit driven by decreased consumer spending.
"Overall, we've got full employment but we've got huge increases in rent, electricity, wages, all those things," chairman Gerry Harvey told AAP. "So cost of doing business is going to be a major problem for any business."
Elsewhere, Qantas dropped 2.0 per cent to $5.91 after competition watchdog agency the ACCC sued the airline in the Federal Court, alleging misleading conduct by advertising tickets for over 8,000 flights it had already cancelled.
Qantas said it was taking the allegations by the ACCC seriously, that its processes were consistent with common practice at many other airlines and that the period being examined by the ACCC was a "time of unprecedented upheaval for the entire airline industry".
In currency, the Australian dollar was continuing to recover against the greenback, buying 64.81 US cents, from 64.75 US cents at Wednesday's ASX's close.
ON THE ASX:
* The S&P/ASX200 index finished Thursday up 7.6 points, or 0.1 per cent, at 7,305.3.
* The All Ordinaries added 11 points, or 0.15 per cent, to 7,517.8.
CURRENCY SNAPSHOT:
One Australian dollar buys:
* 64.81 US cents, from 64.75 US cents at Wednesday's ASX close
* 94.50 Japanese yen, from 94.71 Japanese yen
* 59.51 Euro cents, from 59.55 Euro cents
* 51.02 British pence, from 51.22 pence
* 108.79 NZ cents, from 108.73 NZ cents
