AU Evening Wrap: Market closes green as banks, miners lead the charge

The $S&P/ASX 200 (.XJO.AU)$ closed 42 points or 0.56 per cent higher at 7565.2 points today, marking its third straight green close and following a four-day hiatus over the Easter long weekend.

$Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO.AU)$ and $Macquarie Technology Group Ltd (MAQ.AU)$ group led the gains among the market heavyweights. Banking stocks rose, as well, comfortably offsetting losses from the tech and healthcare sectors.

Lithium big-cap $Lake Resources NL (LKE.AU)$ soared 13.93 per cent today to $2.29 per share. While the company had no announcement today to justify the move, it follows the early stages of an important offtake deal struck with carmaker Ford last week for the supply of 25,000 tonnes per year of lithium from Lake's Kachi project in Argentina.

Today's worst performers were a mixed bag including listed fishing specialist $New Zealand King Salmon Investments Ltd (NZK.AU)$, which tumbled another 23 per cent. The company's share price has halved since the start of April after it released a bleak earnings report last week. Shares that were worth over $1 at the end of March closed at 50 cents each this afternoon.

Oil and gas explorer $Carnarvon Energy Ltd (CVN.AU)$ nosedived 19.4 per cent after announcing it was exiting its Apus-1 well near Port Hedland following disappointing results from a recent drilling program.