Australian shares closed higher.

Today’s scoreboard:

• ASX 200: 5,750.10 +24.25 +0.42%
• All Ordinaries: ,804.80 +24.78 +0.43%
• AUD/USD: 0.7944 +0.0006 +0.08%

The miners led the local market higher, making up for Monday’s falls,

BHP, which released its annual results putting it back in profit, added 1.09% to close at $25.98. Rio Tinto was up 0.9% to $64.77.

Petcare company Greencross fell 2.7% to $5.96 despite lifting full year profit 21% to $42 million,

Oil Search was up 3.2% to $6.60 after the energy group posted a full year profit $US129.1 million, a rise of more than 400%.

Wesfarmers, trading ex-dividend, shed 2.9% to close at $41.35.

Top stories:

1. BHP opens the dividend tap. BHP is back in the black, buoyed by higher commodity prices, with a full year profit of $US5.9 billion.

2. The Seven Group is getting out of China. The Seven Group has sold WesTrac China, its Caterpillar franchise, for $540 million. Its shares closed 8.9% higher at $12.85.

3. Buyers are sniffing at Murray Goulburn. Australia’s largest milk processor, restructuring after volatility in the global dairy industry, is getting interest from potential buyers. Its unit trusts jumped 3.2% to close at $0.645.

4. What to keep your board position? Keep an eye on this boardroom battle at a junior resources company.

5. Feeling down in the dumps. The trickle of poor consumer sentiment data is turning into an avalanche.

6. A great cash business. Sydney Airport made a whopping $77 million in parking and transport fees in just six months. Its shares were up 3.3% to $7.08.

7. Denmark’s future king was turned away from a Brisbane bar. The state’s tough new licensing laws got in the way.

8. PHOTOS: The solar eclipse across the US.

Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.