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Aug 21 (Reuters) - Australian shares closed lower on Monday, tracking weakness on Wall Street amid increasing doubts about the Trump administration's ability to deliver on its economic agenda.
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO finished down 0.4 percent or 21.21 points, at 5725.90. The index closed 0.6 percent lower on Friday.
Trump has alienated many senior members of his own Republican Party, some corporate leaders and U.S. allies with his comments after violence at a Virginia rally organized by neo-Nazis and white supremacists .N
In a surprise move, Trump on Friday fired chief strategist Steve Bannon, known as an economic nationalist and an advocate of "America First" policies.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia CBA.AX , which has found itself in troubled waters in the past two weeks over damaging publicity about a money-laundering lawsuit, fell nearly 1 percent to close at its lowest in more than two months. banks in the "Big Four" followed suit, with National Australia Bank NAB.AX slipping 0.5 percent to its lowest in a week.
The healthcare and industrial sectors recorded losses with CSL Ltd CSL.AX losing 1.5 percent, and Brambles Ltd BXB.AX falling 1.33 percent.
Bucking the trend, the metals and mining index .AXMM posted small gains helped by world no. 4 iron ore miner Fortescue Metals FMG.AX which climbed 6.4 percent to close at its highest in over two weeks.
Fortescue Metals on Monday reported a 113 percent rise in full-year net profit and a 19 percent rise in full-year revenue. the biggest drag on the index was BlueScope Ltd BSL.AX , which tumbled 21.8 percent after its full-year underlying earnings missed estimates, and as the company said it expects net profit for first half of 2018 to be lower than second half of 2017. miners BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) BHP.AX and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) RIO.AX gained 1.2 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively, supported by firm commodity prices. MET/L IRONORE/
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 finished slightly lower, down 5.77 points, as gains in the healthcare sector were offset by losses in telecommunications shares.
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare FPH.NZ gained 1.1 percent, while Spark New Zealand Ltd SPK.NZ declined 0.8 percent.