Australian shares closed up on Thursday, tracking gains on Wall Street.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index gained 0.33%, or 30 points, to close at 9,083.80.

Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500, the Nasdaq Composite, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average all rose 0.2%. The US Treasury said it will double buyback sizes for long-duration debt after borrowing costs rose to multi-decade highs.

Brent crude futures ​continued to rise to around $91 per barrel over uncertainty over peace talks in the Middle East. US President Donald Trump warned of economic consequences against any country that provided support to Iran.

On the domestic front, Australia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 4.5% in July from 4.4% in June, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed.

Prices in Australia's national electricity market eased in 2025 from the previous year as overall competition improved, although pressure remains outside the daytime period, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) said.

In company news, Megaport (ASX:MP1) logged AU$0.218 in loss per share for fiscal 2026, compared with AU$0.002 a year ago. For the 12 months ended June 30, revenue was AU$312.2 million versus AU$227.1 million previously.

Zip Co (ASX:ZIP) logged AU$0.0916 in underlying earnings per basic share for fiscal 2026, compared with AU$0.0386 a year ago. For the 12 months ended June 30, revenue was AU$1.34 billion versus AU$1.07 billion previously. Its shares closed up over 19%.

Sonic Healthcare (ASX:SHL) logged AU$1.256 in underlying earnings per share for fiscal 2026, compared with AU$1.103 a year ago. For the 12 months ended June 30, revenue was AU$10.87 billion versus AU$9.65 billion previously.