POSITIVE news from the banking sector has been deemed responsible for the stronger performance of the Australian stock in the pre-Christmas period. CMC markets senior dealer James Foulsham said some positive news from the banks had helped that sector lead the market higher. “St George was the standout with some news out and ANZ was also pretty strong,” he said. “When one of the banks comes out with something good, quite often it drags the rest of them in the same direction.”