SYDNEY, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Australian shares are poised to open lower on Friday with investors likely to take profits after two straight days of gains and an uninspiring session on Wall Street ahead of the U.S. payrolls report.
Investors will be looking to Australia's August retail sales data due out later today for direction.
Energy stocks may come under pressure after oil prices fell as much as 1 percent.
Local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 18.0 points to 5,062.0, a 50.14-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark rose 90.5 points to 5,112.1 in the previous session.
New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index .NZ50 gained 8.5 points in early trade to 5,593.94.
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