Australia shares set for a lower start; NZ rises

Australian shares are expected to open lower on Thursday on mounting concerns the Delta coronavirus variant may derail the global recovery, with Wall Street ending down.

The local share price index futures fell 0.5%, a 34.0-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index close. The benchmark ended 0.2% lower on Wednesday.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index rose 0.1% to 13,207.10 points in early trade.