Australian shares were slightly lower on Tuesday, in line with Wall Street, as gains in gold and industrial stocks offset losses in the financial and energy stocks.
The S&P/ASX 200 index (xjo) fell 0.4 percent, or 24.87 points to 5,590.70 by 0119 GMT.
Bank stocks suffered the most in the region taking their cue from the U.S. financial sector, with the financial benchmark .AXFJ declining as much as 1.3 percent, to its lowest in nearly two months.
"There is a correlation between what is happening in the U.S. banks overnight and the Aussie banks," says Chris Weston, an institutional dealer at IG Markets.
The S&P 500 financial index .SPSY closed 0.4 percent lower overnight.
The "Big Four" banks fell 0.8 to 1.2 percent, while Macquarie Group Ltd (MQG) shed 2.8 percent, after it reaffirmed flat full-year net profit because of a reduced contribution from its capital markets business.
Energy shares .AXEJ slipped after global oil prices fell as news of ample U.S. supplies offset the effect of OPEC output curbs. [O/R]
The benchmark .AXEJ fell as much as 1.2 percent, posting its lowest in nearly 7 weeks.
Woodside Petroleum Ltd (WPL), Origin Energy Ltd (ORG) and Santos Ltd (STO) fell 0.5 to 1 percent.
Meanwhile, material index .AXMM rose 0.3 percent, with gold miners leading the gainers after the yellow metal jumped 1 percent to its highest in nearly three months. [GOL/]
The gold index .AXGD climbed 4 percent, with Newcrest Mining Ltd (NCM), Northern Star Resources Ltd (NST) and Evolution Mining Ltd (EVN) gaining 3.5 to 4.9 percent.
The industrial sector recorded gains after Transurban Group (TCL), reported a 42 percent jump in first-half profit and raised its full-year dividend guidance.
Shares of the toll road developer rose to their highest in nearly four months.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index (nz50) fell as much as 0.4 percent, recording its biggest intra-day percentage fall in a week.
Industrials and healthcare stocks led the losses, with Auckland International Airport Ltd (AIA) losing 1.4 percent, while Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp Ltd (FPH) fell 1.6 percent.
