Australia shares poised to slip as Sydney travel curbs stoke recovery fears

Australian shares were set to open lower on Monday after a resurgence in COVID-19 infections in Sydney led to states and territories imposing travel restrictions on residents of the city, stoking fears of a delayed economic recovery.

The states of Victoria and Queensland, and the Northern Territory, banned people arriving from Sydney as of Monday.

The local share price index futures fell about 0.2%, a 79.5-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index close. The benchmark closed 1.2% lower on Friday.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index rose marginally by 2122 GMT.