* First divisional downgrade in almost two years for Macquarie
* Shares plummet 9 pct to lowest in a year
* Second-half 2016 earnings seen lower than first half
* Still on track for record full-year profits (Recasts lead, adds analyst comment, updates shares)
By Swati Pandey
SYDNEY, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Australia's Macquarie Group Ltd MQG.AX on Thursday said it expects earnings from its commodities and financial markets division to slip from a year ago, its first downgrade in two years, led by a sharp sell-off in U.S. credit markets.
The commodities and financial markets unit, part of its market-facing division which contributes under 30 percent of the group's net profit, had been a bright spot for the bank helping boost overall earnings.
But a downgrade for the division that contributed A$800 million ($573.68 million) to net profit a year ago spooked investors, sending Macquarie shares to their lowest in a year.
"This is the first divisional downgrade in almost two years. Definitely makes you question if we're at the end of the upgrade cycle," said Omkar Joshi, investment analyst at Watermark Funds Management Pty.
Macquarie expects overall profits for the half-year ending March to be lower than the prior period, it said in a quarterly trading update.
Its shares fell up to 9 percent, while the broader market rose, before recovering slightly to be down nearly 6 percent at A$64.23 by 0240 GMT, their lowest since February 2015.
"Sharp sell-off in U.S. credit markets resulted in a reduction in debt capital markets fees and secondary market client trading revenues," Macquarie said in an investor presentation.
Its total assets under management slipped narrowly during the quarter while activity in its securities division was subdued due to macroeconomic concerns, resulting in lower trading volumes.
Despite the downbeat quarterly update, the Sydney-based bank, which generates over 70 percent of its income overseas, was on track to report its highest profit to date for the year ending March 2016.
The investment bank also saw strong client flows in foreign exchange and interest rates markets, while falling oil prices and volatility in energy markets proved to be a boon for customer activity, it said.
Macquarie has become an investor darling for its consistently strong earnings and focus on annuity-style businesses such as asset management and retail banking, which have now replaced investment banking in contributing the lion's share of earnings, accounting for about 70 percent of group profit.
Its shares surged about 42 percent in 2015, compared with a 2 percent drop in the broader index .AXJO . ($1 = 1.3945 Australian dollars)