Australia: Shares end lower; NZ shares hit record

[MELBOURNE] Australian shares finished down 0.1 per cent on Tuesday, snuffing out an eight-session recovery rally following a slump after Britain's June vote to leave the European Union, while New Zealand shares extended gains to a fresh record.

The S&P/ASX 200 index had slipped by 7.2 points to finish at 5,451.30 at the close of trade, having edged up to the highest since last August at 5,466.40 earlier in the day.

The benchmark had climbed half a per cent on Monday.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index punched out a new record at 7,154.83 on the close, up by 0.7 per cent or 48.88 points.

REUTERS