Jan 11 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to open lower on Thursday, reflecting weak sentiment on Wall Street on worries that China would slow U.S. government bond purchases.
Wall Street's major stock indexes ended lower on Wednesday after a choppy trading session as investors worried that China, the world's biggest holder of U.S. Treasuries, would slow U.S. government bond purchases. .N
Strength in commodity prices, however, is seen supporting the Australian materials sector. IRONORE/ O/R MET/L
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.1 percent or seven points to 6,039, a 57.7-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark dropped 0.6 percent in the previous session.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 slipped 0.3 percent in early trade, with losses seen across most sectors.