Strong close means best week in 15 for ASX

The local share market has ended the week with a flourish, with gains by the tech sector and lithium stocks helping offset weakness in the energy sector.

The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index gained 28 in the final hour of trade to finish Friday up 50.3 points, or 0.77 per cent, at 6,578.7.

The broader All Ordinaries gained 71 points, or 1.06 per cent, at 6,762.4.

The ASX200 finished up 1.6 per cent for the week, its best performance since the week ending March 18.

But it's still down 8.8 per cent in June, putting the index on track for its worst monthly performance since March 2020, with four trading days left.

The Australian dollar meanwhile was buying 69.07 US cents, from 68.74 US cents at Thursday's close.