Aust share market closes higher The Australian share market has bounced back to close above the key 5,000 point mark for the first time in a month amid hopes that local interest rates will fall. Official figures showing the unemployment rate hitting a three-and-a-half year high of 5.6 per cent in March fuelled hopes that the Reserve Bank could start cutting rates again soon. Financial stocks rebounded from falls during the previous session to lead the market higher. "The banks provided the ballast for the market while the rest of the market wilted over the course of the trading session," CMC Markets chief market strategist Michael McCarthy said. ANZ closed 44 cents higher at $28.69, while Commonwealth Bank lifted 75 cents to $68.05, National Australia Bank improved 40 cents to $31.60, and Westpac advanced 60 cents to $31.53. Weaker commodities prices put pressure on resources players, with gold miners, faring the worst. "There's increasing nervousness in commodity pricing, particularly that weakness in gold," Mr McCarthy said. Newcrest dropped 19 cents to $19.56, OceanaGold fell 15 cents to $2.43 and Alacer Gold lost seven cents to $3.60. Among other resources stocks, BHP Billiton dropped 28 cents to $33.40, and Rio Tinto lost 25 cents to $58.03. Elsewhere, retailer Woolworths rose 48 cents at $34.37 after reporting a 2.5 per cent rise in quarterly sales to $14.4 billion. Coles-owner Wesfarmers firmed 42 cents to $40.54. At the close on Thursday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 39.1 points, or 0.79 per cent, at 5,007.1. The broader All Ordinaries index was 36.6 points, or 0.74 per cent, stronger at 5,010.3. The June share price index futures contract was 41 points higher at 5,005, with 22,146 contracts traded. The price of gold in Sydney was $US1558.05, per fine ounce, down $US29.2 on Wednesday's closing price of $US1,587.25. National turnover was 1.5 billion securities worth $3.8 billion.