May 7 (Reuters) - Australian shares were on course for a second day of losses on Thursday, with energy and gold stocks likely to drop following an overnight slump in the prices of underlying commodities.
Oil dropped 4% to below $30 a barrel on Wednesday as U.S. crude stockpiles and diesel inventories rose, while gold fell more than 1% on expectations of a gradual improvement in risk appetite as many countries begin to ease coronavirus restrictions. O/R GOL/
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.9% or 48 points to 5,396, a 36.6-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark fell 0.4% on Wednesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.2% to 10,589.9 in early trade.