SYDNEY, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Australian shares are likely to open lower on Friday, following a sell-off in global equities on worries about slower Chinese growth and uncertainty about when the Federal Reserve will lift interest rates.
Investors are also nervously waiting for a survey on China's manufacturing sector due around 0145 GMT. Any disappointment in the figures will likely add to concerns about the health of the world's second-biggest economy.
Indicating a weak start to Friday's session, share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 1.3 percent to 5,170.0, a 118.6-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. On Thursday, the benchmark index slid 1.7 percent to its lowest close since mid-December.
New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index .NZ50 eased 0.3 percent, or 16.3 points, to 5,726.2 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