Australian, NZ shares down

SYDNEY/WELLINGTON: Australian shares ended marginally lower on Thursday as gains among gold stocks were pared by losses among tech and industrial stocks, and as investors looked forward to important corporate earnings results slated for next week.

The S&P/ASX 200 index closed down 0.1% at 6,850.1 points. New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index fell 0.5%, hurt by losses among tech and healthcare shares.

Earnings reports from a number of Australian heavyweights.

Domestic gold stocks jumped 1.7% after the country's top independent gold producer Newcrest Mining said its underlying half-year profit had nearly doubled.

Mining stocks were also higher, with global miners Rio Tinto and BHP Group gaining 1.1% and 0.9%, respectively.