* Weaker iron ore prices hurt miners
* Rising domestic bond yields pressurise equities
* New Zealand's central bank holds rates at record low (Updates to close)
By Soumyajit Saha
Feb 24 (Reuters) - Australian shares closed lower on Wednesday, hurt most by losses in miners and tech stocks and a fall in commodity prices following a recent rally.
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO ended 0.9% lower at 6,777.8.
A rise in bond yields also pressurised stocks, said Kyle Rodda, an analyst with IG Markets.
Higher bond yields usually have a negative impact on equities as they diminish the attraction from stocks' dividend payouts and make debt servicing harder for companies.
Australian bonds saw a major sell-off recently, while hopes of support from the Reserve Bank of Australia in the form of three-year bonds purchases were dashed on Wednesday. .AXMM fell 2.3% after two consecutive sessions of gains, as iron ore futures declined 0.4% while awaiting a rebound in downstream demand. IRONORE/
Global miners BHP Group BHP.AX and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) RIO.AX fell 3.1% and 2.7%, respectively.
Tech stocks .AXIJ mirrored their Wall Street peers to drop 2.7%, with artificial intelligence company Appen Ltd APX.AX declining 12.1% to be the biggest percentage loser on the benchmark.
Energy stocks .AXEJ were also lower, hurt by falling oil prices, as data showed U.S. crude inventories unexpectedly rose last week. O/R
Oil and gas explorers Woodside Petroleum WPL.AX and Oil Search OSH.AX lost 1.1% and 1.6%, each.
Gold stocks .AXGD shed 1.6% as bullion prices weakened overnight, but prices regained steam later on dovish remarks by U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. GOL/
Gold explorers De Grey Mining DEG.AX and Northern Star NST.AX fell 3.2% and 3.6%, respectively.
Meanwhile, supermarket chain operator Woolworths Group ended higher after posting strong half-year results, but warned of slowing sales growth ahead. Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 fell 0.9% as weaker financial and healthcare sectors weighed.
The country's central bank on Wednesday held interest rates at record lows and sounded a cautious note about the economic outlook.