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Australia shares fall as bank stocks lose steam, NZ steady

Published 21/07/2017, 01:18 pm
Updated 21/07/2017, 01:20 pm
© Reuters.  Australia shares fall as bank stocks lose steam, NZ steady

© Reuters. Australia shares fall as bank stocks lose steam, NZ steady

By Hanna Paul

July 21 (Reuters) - Bank stocks lost steam and pulled Australian shares lower on Friday as investors booked profits after two sessions of strong gains.

The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO was down 26.55 points, or 0.5 percent, at 5,734.9 by 0300 GMT. The benchmark rose 0.5 percent on Thursday.

A gauge of financial stocks .AXFJ dipped over 0.7 percent. while three of the 'Big Four' banks lost between 0.3 to 0.6 percent. The country's biggest bank by market value, Commonwealth Bank of Australia CBA.AX , was flat.

"The banks have had two very strong days, with 3 percent gains in the sector," said Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets.

Financials had rallied as the banks, especially the Big Four, declared that they were comfortable with new capital rules unveiled by the Australian Prudential (LON:PRU) Regulation Authority (APRA). these very strong gains are "combined with the high Australian dollar, international investors are locking in some of those recent gains by selling today," McCarthy said.

The Aussie dollar touched a two-year peak this week as encouraging jobs data fuelled hopes of a rate hike by the central bank, but it slipped on Friday. heavy weights BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) BHP.AX and South32 S32.AX slipped nearly 1.9 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, pulling materials stocks into the red.

Activist shareholder Elliott Management expressed concerns over BHP's BHP.AX proposal to enter the over-supplied fertiliser market. Metals Group FMG.AX dipped as much as 3.5 percent. An Australian court ruled against the company in claims made by indigenous Aboriginal groups over land in Pilbara region. Health Care Ltd PRY.AX bounced back up over a percent after dropping as much as 5 percent to its lowest in 2 months after downgrading its annual profit outlook to the lower end of its guidance. Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 fell 4.57 points, or 0.06 percent, to 7,667.87 by 0301 GMT.

The index was little changed as gains in healthcare and utility stocks outweighed losses in the materials sector.

Fletcher Building FBU.NZ was among the biggest percentage decliners while Fisher and Paykel Healthcare FPH.NZ was among the gainers.

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