Aug 5 (Reuters) - Australian shares were set to open lower on Wednesday as a rising tide of COVID-19 cases in the country muted risk sentiment, though losses may be limited as Wall Street squeezed out gains in a choppy session of trading overnight.
Australia's second-most populous state Victoria has imposed severe restrictions on movement and ordered the closure of large parts of the local economy as it witnesses a resurgence in coronavirus cases. local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.2%, a 54.6-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark rose 1.88% on Tuesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 was trading flat at 11,774.11 by 2213 GMT.