The S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.4% to close at 8,940 on Thursday, after shedding more than 3% over the previous two sessions, as Wall Street’s strong lead amid easing concerns over surging oil prices supported risk sentiment. Investors also continued to weigh the inflationary impact of the widening Middle East conflict alongside stronger-than-expected domestic GDP data a day ago. This added to concerns over the risk of an earlier rate hike by the Reserve Bank. Sector-wise, banking, healthcare, and technology stocks led the advance. Three of the four largest banks gained between 1% to 2%, while ANZ added 0.5%. Additionally, biotech giant CSL climbed 2.8%, while its peer Telix Pharmaceuticals surged 6.9%. Logistics software stocks Xero and Technology One surged over 3% each, while Wisetech Global jumped 5.4%, tracking their US peers higher. On the downside, gold miners mostly weighed on the index, down 1.5%, extending losses for a third straight session.