April 13 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to open lower on Thursday, with falling commodity prices weighing down materials and energy stocks.
Oil futures fell on Wednesday after U.S. crude inventory data suggested the market was still heavily supplied, while Chinese iron ore and steel futures fell on fears of a supply glut. O/R IRONORE/
Stocks are also expected to track Wall Street, which fell on pressure from lingering geopolitical concerns and President Donald Trump's comments on the dollar and interest rates. .N
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 31 points, or 0.5 percent, to 5896, a 38-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark rose 0.1 percent on Wednesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 fell 0.04 percent in early trade.
For a summary of overnight action across global markets, double click on AU/CALL
For a digest of the day's business stories in Australian newspapers, double click on PRESS/AUB