Dec 11 (Reuters) - Australian shares are set to open lower on Friday, with the country's prominent gold sector likely to come under pressure after an overnight drop in prices.
Safe-haven gold eased on Thursday, as persistent vaccine optimism drove investors towards risk assets. GOL/
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 0.5, a 33.1-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark had closed down 0.7% on Thursday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.1% in early trade