Mumbai, Feb. 17 -- Australian markets eked out modest gains as minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's February monetary policy meeting reinforced a tightening bias without committing to May action.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 edged up by 0.24 percent to 8,958.90, extending gains from the previous session.

The broader All Ordinaries index settled 0.20 percent higher at 9,182.50. Mining heavyweight BHP Billiton soared 4.7 percent after reporting a jump in half-year net profit.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Capital Market....