Australian shares were poised to inch lower on Tuesday after a weak showing on Wall Street overnight as rising US Treasury yields and inflation concerns pressured stocks.

The local share price index futures fell 0.2%, a 80.9-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index close.

The benchmark closed 0.2% lower on Monday.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index fell 0.3% by 2122 GMT.