Australian shares set to open lower, NZ falls

Australian shares are poised to fall on Friday, likely tracking overnight Wall Street losses as a contraction in U.S. manufacturing activity for November overshadowed mild easing in inflation and solid consumer spending there.

The local share price index futures (YAPcm1) fell 0.2%, a 3.4 points discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index XJO close. The benchmark jumped 0.9% on Thursday.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index NZ50G fell 0.2% to 11,633.97 in early trade.