Australian shares likely to open lower, NZ falls

Australian shares were likely to open lower on Wednesday, as investors exercised caution ahead of the minutes of the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting due later in the day and Chair Jerome Powell's speech at Jackson Hole on Friday.

The local share price index futures (YAPcm1) fell 0.6%, a 100.7-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index XJO close. The benchmark rose 0.2% on Tuesday.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index NZ50G was down 0.3% to 12,525.57 points in early trade.