Australia shares were likely to open lower on Friday following a sharp slide on Wall Street overnight after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's comments did not ease concerns around rising bond yields.

The local share price index futures fell 0.3%, a 17-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index close.

The benchmark fell 0.8% on Thursday.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index was roughly flat by 2124 GMT.