SYDNEY — The S&P/ASX 200 traded modestly higher Tuesday afternoon, up 5.9 points, or 0.07%, to 9,079.1 as of 2:25 p.m. AEST, as a wave of strong earnings from healthcare and materials heavyweights offset weakness across much of the broader Australian market during the peak of the country's corporate reporting season.

By midday, the benchmark had climbed 0.1% to 9,084 points, according to market tracking, with strong results from BHP, CSL, Pro Medicus and Cochlear helping lift the healthcare sector by a striking 7.3% on the day, even as the broader market remained largely in negative territory. Materials and energy sectors also advanced, up 1.2% and 0.7% respectively, while consumer staples, telecommunications and financials all weighed on the index, falling 1.3%, 1.2% and 1.1% respectively.

Tuesday's session followed a soft finish to Monday's trade, when the ASX 200 fell 42 points, or 0.46%, to close at 9,073.2, while the broader All Ordinaries index dropped 34.2 points, or 0.37%, to 9,279. Energy and raw materials were the only sectors to finish Monday's session convincingly higher as commodity prices provided support.

Global mining giant BHP posted a surge in profit driven by elevated copper prices, contributing significantly to Tuesday's gains in the materials sector. Meanwhile, biotech giant CSL reported its first annual loss since the company listed on the ASX in 1994, a historic milestone that nonetheless failed to dent investor enthusiasm, with CSL shares among those propelling the healthcare sector's outsized gain for the day. Diagnostic imaging software company Pro Medicus and hearing implant maker Cochlear also posted strong........

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