Australia: Shares fall for a 5th day, end 4% higher in October

[SYDNEY] Australian shares ended 0.5 per cent lower on Friday for a fifth day of decline, as miners fell on concerns about demand from China and United States as growth slows while lower-than-expected bank profits hurt sentiment.

The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 27.46 points to 5,239.40 at the close of trade.

The index ended the week down around 2 percent, its biggest drop since the week of Sept 21-25. But it had a monthly gain of 4.33 per cent, the most since July.

New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index fell 0.28 per cent or 16.60 points to finish the session at 5,986.37.

REUTERS