Aussie shares open higher on back of Wall Street strength

SYDNEY, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Australian stock market opened firmer on Friday, riding on the back of positive gains in the U.S. market.

Within the first hour of trade, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 14.1 points or 0.23 percent at 6,081.7, and the broader All Ordinaries index added 11.7 points or 0.19 percent at 6,187.9 points.

Strong showing in energy counters helped fuel overnight gains on the Wall Street and positive sentiment spilling into other sectors.

Australia's big banks were mostly lower in morning trade, with ANZ down 0.45 percent, Commonwealth Bank of Australia slipping 0.25 percent and Westpac dipping 0.19 percent. The National Australia Bank lifted 0.14 percent.

Mining giant BHP Billiton rose 2.04 percent and rival Rio Tinto was up 2.03 percent. Newcrest Mining fell 0.18 percent while Oil Search gained 0.76 percent.

Wesfarmers slipped 0.61 percent and rival supermarket chain Woolworths was down 0.55 percent.

Qantas lifted 2.66 percent and biomed group CSL was up 0.43 percent. Enditem