July 6 (Reuters) - Australian shares were poised to edge lower on Monday as the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country and across the globe cast a pall on investor sentiment.
Australia's second most-populous state, Victoria, reported its biggest jump in coronavirus cases since late March on Saturday, while rising infections in U.S. states dampened the nation's Fourth of July celebrations. local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.6%, a 58.9-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark ended 0.4% higher on Friday.
In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.2% to 11,578.4 in early trade.