The S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.4% to around 8,950 on Friday, extending its 1.1% rally from the previous session, lifted by tech and healthcare stocks, and on track for its best weekly gain since mid-July. A strong lead from Wall Street boosted the index, as optimism over AI trade outweighed concerns about the US government shutdown, driving US benchmarks to new highs. Domestically, latest data showed Australia’s services sector grew for a 20th straight month in September, though at its slowest pace since June. Back on the bourse, tech stocks, up 0.7%, tracked their US peers higher, led by Xero Ltd (0.6%), while healthcare extended gains by 0.6% to a two-week high. Mining giants Rio Tinto and Lynas Rare Earths also climbed 1.2% and 3%, respectively. Meanwhile, gold stocks fell up to 1.3%, snapping a five-day rally, but remained on track for a 7.5% weekly gain, their second straight, as bullion prices eased. Sector major Northern Star slipped 2.1% while Evolution Mining lost 1.7%.