THE share market closed marginally higher after rising back into the black in the final minutes of trading, and the share price index futures contract ticked over from March delivery to June.
Defensive stocks such as telecommunications, utilities and consumer staples fared best although mining stocks capped their gains despite higher commodity prices.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 9.9 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 4863.1 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index added 10.8 points, or 0.22 per cent, to 4,877.7 points.
IG Markets analyst Ben Potter said the bourse was defensively postured with the telecommunications, utilities and consumer staples sectors among the best percentage performers.
"Whilst the market has been rallying in recent days, volumes have been far from convincing, suggesting there's not the weight of money to push the market much higher," Mr Potter said.
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"Having said that, there are a lot of participants calling for a pullback given the recent strength."
Rio Tinto was 29 cents higher at $76.99.
Fellow mining giant BHP Billiton was down 14 cents to $43.16, after saying it was cautious about the state of the world economy and warned governments to be careful about tax changes and winding back stimulus packages.
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