Aug 29 (Reuters) - Australian shares are set for a slow start on Tuesday, in line with an unconvincing finish on Wall Street in the previous session after Tropical Storm Harvey battered the U.S. energy hub in Texas.
Energy stocks are expected to slip on weak crude LCOc1 prices, while falls in China steel and metal prices may take a toll on miners and other material stocks as well. .N O/R IRONORE/ MET/L
However, gold stocks are likely to find solace in an otherwise dismal commodity market on the back of bullion prices which rose after the head of the European Central Bank told a meeting of central bankers the euro zone's economic recovery had taken hold. GOL/
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.02 percent or 1 point to 5,679, a 30.9-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark fell 0.6 percent on Monday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 fell 0.2 percent or 15.52 points to 7,811.35 at 2213 GMT.