Sept 12 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to come under pressure from mining stocks on Wednesday, with heavyweights BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) Ltd BHP.AX and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) Ltd RIO.AX to lose on lower metal prices.
Chinese steel futures fell more than 4 percent and coke prices also tanked after sources suggested China may allow for more flexible production cuts, while base metal prices slid on trade concerns. IRONORE/ MET/L
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 fell 14 points to 6162.0, a 17.7-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark rose 0.6 percent on Tuesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 was mostly unchanged in early trade.