Australia shares end flat; New Zealand hits record high

[SYDNEY] Australian shares ended little changed on Tuesday in lacklustre trading as losses in resource stocks were offset by gains in banks ahead of full-year earnings this week.

The S&P/ASX 200 index barely moved to finish the session at 5,346.2 points. The benchmark slipped 0.1 percent on Monday. The index is up 6.5 percent in October so far, on track for its best monthly performance since 2011.

National Australia Bank will announce full-year results on Wednesday while ANZ Banking Group will report on Thursday.

Trading has been subdued over the past week ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday and the Bank of Japan's policy meeting on Friday. A patchy U.S. corporate earnings season has also dulled investor appetite.

New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index hit a record high on Tuesday before closing up 0.5 percent or 30.35 points at 6,001.02

REUTERS