Australian shares edge lower as banks drag; RBA minutes in focus
Oct 8 (Reuters) -Australian shares inched lower on Tuesday, as losses in banks outweighed gains in mining and energy stocks, while investors awaited minutes of the central bank's last policy meeting to gain more insight into its monetary policy stance.
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO fell by 0.1% to 8,198 by 2312 GMT. The benchmark had closed 0.7% higher on Monday.
The Reserve Bank of Australia kept interest rates steady at a 12-year high of 4.35% last month, as widely expected, and said it would look past the slowing headline inflation, thereby pushing back any possibilities of a near-term cut. The RBA's September meeting minutes are due later in the day.
Markets are pricing in an 88% likelihood of the RBA keeping its current interest rate unchanged in November. 0#RBAWATCH
Meanwhile, investors focussed on Chinese markets, which will resume trade later in the day after a week-long holiday. Before the break, China announced the most aggressive stimulus measures since the pandemic and the CSI300 .CSI300 gained 25% over five sessions. .SS
In Sydney, financials .AXFJ fell 0.2%, declining for a fifth session in six. The "Big Four" banks were down between 0.2% and 0.8%.
Miners .AXMM gained 0.3% on the back of improving copper prices. Mining behemoths BHP Group BHP.AX and Rio Tinto RIO.AX climbed 0.5% and 1.2%, respectively. MET/L
Energy stocks .AXEJ rose 1.3% after oil prices extended gains on Monday as the increased risk of a region-wide Middle East war jolted investors out of record bearish positions amassed last month. O/R
Sector heavyweights Woodside WDS.AX and Santos STO.AX climbed 1.7% each.
Overnight, the S&P 500 index .SPX closed 0.96% lower, while the Nasdaq .IXIC lost 1.18%.
In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 fell 0.4% to 12,540.49.
The country's central bank is anticipated to lower interest rates by half a percentage point at its policy meeting on Wednesday, according to a Reuters Poll.
Reporting by Roshan Thomas in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu
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