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Sept 27 (Reuters) - Australian shares ticked down on Thursday as materials firms lost ground on lower commodities prices, while banks slumped ahead of an interim report from a powerful inquiry into the financial services sector.
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO edged down 0.2 percent or 11.10 points to 6,181.20 at the close of trade. The benchmark tacked on 0.1 percent on Wednesday.
Banks bore the brunt of the losses on the day, with the financial index .AXFJ slipping for the fourth day in a row, down 0.3 percent at a more than three-month low.
The financial sector has been put to the sword ahead of the Royal Commission's interim report due on Friday.
The quasi-judicial Royal Commission inquiry has already revealed widespread wrongdoing in Australian financial services, making it the worst-performing ASX sector this year.
Westpac Banking Corp WBC.AX fell 0.7 percent to its lowest since Sept. 13, while Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd ANZ.AX dipped 0.6 percent to a more than three-month low.
Materials were also in the red, hurt by a weakness in iron ore and copper prices.
Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) Ltd RIO.AX slipped 1 percent, while Newcrest Mining Ltd NCM.AX traded 1.4 percent lower.
In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 fell 0.7 percent or 63.45 points to finish the session at a more than one-week low of 9,286.4.
Utilities and consumer staples accounted for most of the losses, with Meridian Energy Ltd MEL.NZ falling 3.6 percent to a two-week low, while dairy firm a2 Milk Company Ltd ATM.NZ dropped 2.5 percent to its lowest since Sept. 10.