Feb 9 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to open substantially weaker on Friday, tracking a tumble on Wall Street as investors remained on edge amid several volatile sessions.
Major indexes in the United States fell about 2 percent in late afternoon trading. .N
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 plunged 119 points to 5,694, a 196.7-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark rose 0.2 percent on Thursday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 fell 1 percent in early trade, making it on track to end lower for all the days it traded in the week.