Oct 5(Reuters) - Australian shares are set for a soft start on Wednesday, tracking Wall Street, on fears over Britain's exit from the European Union and the prospect of a December U.S. Fed rate hike.
Angst about future interest rate hikes returned to the fore after Richmond Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Lacker said he would have voted in favor of an interest rate hike at the Fed's September policy meeting, reflecting the growing pressure on Fed Chair Janet Yellen to raise rates. local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.6 percent to 5,442, a 42-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark closed up 0.1 percent or 5.4 points to 5,484 at the close of trade on Tuesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 fell for a second consecutive session, sliding 0.3 percent to 7,333.26 in early trade.
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