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Australia shares see worst day in four months after Wall Street tech rout

Published 04/09/2020, 05:01 pm
Updated 04/09/2020, 05:06 pm
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* Victoria state posts record daily death toll

* ASX posts biggest weekly loss since June 12

* Tech stocks see worst day in nearly 5-1/2 months

* NZ restrictions to stay on until at least mid-Sept (Updates to close)

By Arpit Nayak

Sept 4 (Reuters) - Australian shares fell on Friday by their most in four months, after a sharp sell-off in technology stocks sent Wall Street's main indexes to their worst session since June.

The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO settled 3.1% lower at 5,925.5 in broad-based selling. For the week, the benchmark fell 2.4%, marking its biggest weekly decline since June 12.

Overnight, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite .IXIC slumped 5%, with tech giants Apple AAPL.O and Microsoft MSFT.O weighing the most. .N

The U.S. tech sector that has led this amazing rally since March-lows finally came a little bit unstuck, said Damian Rooney, director of equity sales at Perth-based investment house Argonaut.

"I think there was a certain inevitability about it and I wouldn't be surprised to see some more," Rooney said.

Adding to woes, Australia's Victoria state reported a record 59 deaths on Friday, including previously unrecorded deaths in aged care facilities, while authorities suggested restrictions in the state may remain even after the current six-week lockdown comes to an end. are now awaiting U.S. payrolls figures, due at 1230 GMT, which could trigger further sell-offs if the numbers miss economists' expectations that about 14 million jobs were created in August. stocks .AXIJ were the hardest hit on the Australian benchmark, falling 5.6% in their biggest daily loss since March 23. Buy-now-pay-later firm Afterpay APT.AX plunged 6.7%, while Xero XRO.AX eased 5.7%.

BHP Group BHP.AX eased 3.8% and dragged miners .AXMM to a near two-month low as iron ore futures in China snapped a six-session rally. IRONORE/

Financials .AXFJ and healthcare stocks .AXHJ also declined 3% and 3.8%, respectively.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 fell 1.9% to 11,824.31, after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said coronavirus curbs would stay in place until at least mid-September.

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