Aussie shares jumped higher today, following positive leads from international markets overnight.

Investors were also optimistic ahead of tonight's ECB bank refinancing operation, which is expected to further ease liquidity strains in the financial system.

Most sectors finished in front, with consumer discretionary the only exception.

The big four all improved; NAB and Westpac were the best of the four with a rise of 1.6% and 1.1%, respectively.

The mining majors were mixed; BHP advanced 1%, while rival Rio Tinto let go of 0.4%.

Elsewhere in the sector, Orica finished up 2.9% after saying its FY12 underlying earnings were expected to beat FY11's result.

The ASX 200 added 36 points (+0.8%), to close at 4299.

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Evening Market Commentary: A Good Day is a post from: Australian Stock Report Market Pulse Blog