SYDNEY, Jan 19 (Reuters) - New Zealand shares opened a touch lower on Tuesday while their Australian counterparts are expected to follow suit with investors taking a cautious stance ahead of a barrage of Chinese data.
The market is bracing for China to post its weakest quarterly economic growth in nearly seven years. Any surprises fuelling fears of a sharper slowdown will likely jolt already shaky global financial markets. Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 eased 0.12 percent, or 7.52 points, to 6,093.92 in early trade.
Pointing to a negative start for Australia, share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.6 percent to 4,786.0, a 72.7-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO . The benchmark slid to a 2-1/2 year closing low on Monday.
The market will also be poring over Rio Tinto's RIO.AX fourth quarter production results. The global miner said it has met its targets across all of its major products. 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