May 23 (Reuters) - Australian shares were expected to dip at the open on Wednesday taking cues from Wall Street, which ended lower overnight on uncertainty over the outcome of trade talks between the United States and China.
Meanwhile, the European Union countries agreed to begin free trade talks with Australia and New Zealand in a drive to forge new alliances as trade tensions with the United States increased. local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.07 percent, or 4 points, to 6,043 points, a 1.1 point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark dropped 0.7 percent on Tuesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 shed 0.2 percent at 2205 GMT.