** Australia tech stocks .AXIJ rise as much as 2.4%, set
for best day since Dec. 1
** Aussie tech stocks benefit from local sentiment improving
and defy the overnight drop in Wall Street .N
** Novonix NVX.AX emerges as top gainer, jumping as much
as 8.2%, while BrainChip BRN.AX rises as much as 5%
** Sector majors Xero XRO.AX and Megaport MP1.AX up as
much as 3% and 3.8%, respectively
** AXIJ tumbled more than 34% in 2022, its worst rout since
the crash of the dotcom bubble in 2002
(Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru)
((Rishav.Chatterjee@thomsonreuters.com;))