March 17 (Reuters) - Australian shares are poised to open marginally lower on Friday taking cues from Wall Street which saw a fall in healthcare and utility stocks.
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.1 percent or 8 points to 5,777, a 8.8-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark rose 0.2 percent on Thursday.
However, the gains in commodities is expected to push materials stocks up which might help stem the losses in the Australian benchmark index .AXJO .
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.1 percent at 7,159.25 in early trade.
Gains in materials stocks helped the benchmark index to extend gains into a second session of trading.
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