Oct 14 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to decline on Wednesday as the mood soured after a United States fiscal stimulus package faced another hurdle and a major drugmaker halted its COVID-19 vaccine trial.
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.9%, a 47.7-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close, as at 2035 GMT. The benchmark closed up about 1% on Tuesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.05% in early trade.