Oct 21 (Reuters) - Australian shares will likely start Friday's session flat with a negative bias, as a stronger U.S. dollar jolted down oil prices after the European Central Bank (ECB) kept the door open to further monetary stimulus in future.
The U.S. dollar rose as the euro fell to a four-month low following the ECB's decision to leave interest rates unchanged, while keeping a range of options open for more stimulus in December, ending talk that it might taper its 1.7 trillion euro asset-buying programme. local share price index futures YAPcm1 was flat at 5,424.0 points, an 18.1-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark closed up 0.1 percent at 5,442.1, registering third straight session of gains.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 fell 0.3 percent, or 19.7 points, to 6954.05 in early trade.
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