Dec 22 (Reuters) - Australian shares were set to open lower on Tuesday, as concerns over a highly contagious new strain of the coronavirus detected in the UK battered oil prices and spooked investors.
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.36%, a 105.9-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark closed 0.1% lower on Monday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.06% by 2122 GMT.