* JB Hi-Fi top gainer on ASX200

* CAR Group adds 4.5%

* CBA & National Australia Bank to report later this week

* RBNZ cash rate due Wednesday; July unemployment data for Australia due Thursday

Aug 12 (Reuters) - Australian shares ended higher for a second-straight session on Monday, as gains in consumer and technology stocks outweighed losses in resources stocks, with retailer JB Hi-Fi emerging as the top gainer to kick off a week busy with corporate earnings.

The S&P/ASX 200 index closed 0.5% higher at 7,813.7 points.

Home entertainment retailer JB Hi-Fi hit a record high and closed 8.3% higher, after it announced a special dividend and reported better-than-expected annual results.

"JB Hi-Fi's trading update is stronger than market expectations and increased inventory suggests management is confident of growth in fiscal 2025," analysts at Citi said in a note.

The retailer's update backed gains in peers such as Super Retail and Harvey Norman, which respectively ended 5% and 3.7% higher.

Online vehicle marketplace business CAR Group, formerly known as Carsales, added 4.5% after its annual revenue jumped to A$1.1 billion ($724.02 million).

Among stocks dragging the benchmark, Beach Energy ended over 12% lower after the firm, backed by local businessman Kerry Stokes, reported lower earnings and shocked investors with a big downgrade in gas reserves at a field in Victoria.

Rail operator Aurizon fell to its lowest level in more than 16 months after it forecast underwhelming 2025 earnings and missed profit expectations.

Among sub-indexes, financials advanced 0.9% with the "Big Four" banks gaining between 0.6% and 1% as local unemployment data later in the week is set to show that the central bank would continue to hold interest rates and not hike.

Technology stocks rose 1.9% with IT-major Xero and software services provider Wisetech Global gaining 1.4% and 2.7%, respectively, tracking Western peers.

Mining and energy shares, the two major commodity stocks, closed in the negative territory.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index closed 0.3% higher at 12,281.3 points, with investors awaiting the central bank's cash rate decision due later in the week. ($1 = 1.5193 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Sherin Sunny and Ayushman Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)