Australian shares fell 0.5 percent on Thursday to their lowest close in 9 days as major miners came under pressure and Leighton Holdings plunged after it flagged a full-year loss and raised capital to plug a hole in its balance sheet. The underlying S&P/ASX 200 index fell 26.8 points to 4,884.2, according to the latest data. The index hit a 12-month high of 4,976.4 on Monday, just short of 5,000, after a 9 percent gain from March lows.
New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index fell 0.1 percent to 3,454.5. BHP Billiton fell 1.2 percent while Rio Tinto lost 0.7 percent. Metal prices have been hurt after long-term commodity bull Goldman Sachs earlier this week advised its clients to take profits.