Australia: Shares slide on Qantas profit warning, resources; NZ hits record

[SYDNEY] Australian shares slipped on Monday, hurt by a profit warning from Qantas as well as sliding mining and energy stocks after talks by oil exporters on freezing output collapsed, while New Zealand stocks hit a new record.

The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 20.4 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 5,137.1 at the close of trade. After falling 2 per cent in calendar 2015, the benchmark has struggled to make back ground, down another 3 per cent so far this year.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index meanwhile rose 6.5 points, or 0.1 per cent, to finish the session at 6,851.2, its fourth record in a row. That index is up 9 per cent so far this year.

REUTERS