Australian Shares Rise; Australia's Federal Court Approves ASX's AU$20.5 Million Settlement in Misleading Disclosure Case

Australian shares closed higher on Friday with investors now expecting the US Federal Reserve to keep interest rates steady after softer US jobs data. The S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 1.37%, or 119.80 points, to close at 8,844.30. On Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.1%, to set another record, reaching a fourth straight week of gains. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 was flat. The US nonfarm payrolls report showed the economy added 57,000 jobs in June, below the ​estimates for a rise of 110,000. Gold rose by over 1% to around $4,200 per ounce. On the domestic front, Australia's seasonally adjusted S&P Global Services purchasing managers' index (PMI) business activity index rose to 50.5 in June from 48.7 in May, signaling a marginal increase in business activity following a contraction in the previous month. by S&P Global. In company news, ASX (ASX:ASX) is set to pay a pecuniary penalty of AU$20.5 million for misleading disclosures in February 2022 over the progress of a technology upgrade project, Australia's Federal Court ruled. The case, brought by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, centered on a claim by ASX that its CHESS.