The S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.5% to around 9,000 in early Wednesday trade, extending gains for a third consecutive session, following a positive lead from Wall Street overnight. The benchmark has now gained roughly 0.2% in each of the previous two sessions, supported by a steady flow of corporate earnings from some of Australia’s largest companies. Top lender National Australia Bank climbed nearly 4% after reporting a solid rise in first-quarter cash earnings, driven by stronger lending activity and higher deposit volumes. Local technology stocks also advanced, tracking strength in their US counterparts, with Technology One surging 8.4%, while Wisetech Global and Xero added around 1.5% each. Meanwhile, mining stocks were mixed, with Rio Tinto up 0.8%, while BHP Group down 1.7%. Gold miners mostly weighed on the index, as bullion prices fell amid progress in US-Iran nuclear talks. Evolution Mining and Northern Star dropped 2.3% and 1.5%, respectively.