April 22 (Reuters) - Australian shares were poised to open firmly lower on Wednesday, tracking an overnight slide on Wall Street, as a collapse in U.S. oil prices underscored fears of a severe economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 2.1%, a 131.3-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark ended 2.5% lower on Tuesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 fell 0.2% in early trade.