Australia: Shares fall as oil, iron slide outweighs upbeat jobs data

[SYDNEY] Australian shares fell on Monday as investors looked past upbeat domestic employment data and sold down resource sectors following continued weakness in the prices of oil and iron ore.

Weak US jobs data and a negative lead from offshore equities markets also weighed down the bourse with most major sectors declining by mid-session.

The S&P/ASX 200 index ended down 42.9 points or 0.8 per cent at 5,422.7.

New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index rose 0.4 per cent or 24.96 points to finish the session at 5,609.8.

REUTERS