SYDNEY, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Australian shares are set to fall again on Friday to post a week of losses, as worries about U.S. and Chinese growth weigh on the resources sector, though a weaker Aussie dollar is helping offset the pain for exporters.
Local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.3 percent to 5,226.0 to sit at a 40.9-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark fell 1.2 percent on Thursday.
New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index .NZ50 fell 0.3 percent to 5,984.0 in early trade.
Rail and ports group Asciano Ltd AIO.AX will be in the frame after rival logistics firm Qube Holdings QUB.AX snared a near 20 percent stake seeking to block a $6.5 billion bid from Canada's Brookfield Asset Management BAMa.TO . urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N12T6L1
Macquarie Group, Australia's top investment bank, posted a record first half net profit, up 58 percent in line with its guidance earlier this month. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N12T1XK
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