The Australian stockmarket on Friday ended the week with a third successive strong performance as investors regained some confidence in the outlook for the global economy.

At 4:15pm (AEST), the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index edged up 8.5 points or 0.19 per cent at 4,541.2 points. The broader All Ordinaries index, meanwhile, climbed to 4,577.6 points after adding 14.6 points or 0.32 per cent.

For the week, the ASX200 jumped 3.9 per cent, its first weekly advance in a month and the largest upward movement since the last week of August 2009.

Among the major sub-indexes, financial shares shed 0.3 per cent for the day, while minerals added 0.5 per cent. Gold stocks firmed up 4.1 per cent higher and industrials increased 1.6 per cent.

On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the September share price index futures contract climbed to 4,534 points after adding five points on volume of 25,041 contracts.

The Australian bourse performed reasonably well this week on the back of strong GDP domestic figures and good profit season reports, according to RBS Morgans director of equities Bill Chatterton.

He also said investors are cautious amid an unresolved federal election.

"The fact that we haven't got a solution in the federal election has been an issue - there's no question about that - from a local perspective and from an international perspective."

All major banks closed Friday's trading in the red. ANZ shed 14 cents to $23.29, while Commonwealth Bank gave in 35 cents to hit $51.57. National Australia Bank was one cent lower at $24.10 and Westpac fell 15 cents to $22.50.

The two big miners, meanwhile, finished strongly.

Rio Tinto rose 67 cents, or 0.92 per cent, to $73.79, while BHP Billiton gained one cent to $38.33.

The retailers posted mixed results, with Wesfarmers gaining 31 cents or 0.93 per cent to $33.60 and Woolworths falling nine cents to $28.38.