April 16 (Reuters) - Australian shares are likely to open
lower on Monday, tracking losses on Wall Street on Friday as
investors brace for the week ahead following a spike in tensions
over Syria after Western strikes and calls for fresh sanctions
against Russia.
The local share price index futures fell 0.1
percent, or 6 points, to 5,810, a 19.1-point discount to the
underlying S&P/ASX 200 index close. The benchmark rose
0.2 percent on Friday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index fell 0.1
percent, or 8.78 points, to 8,405.99 in early trade at 2209 GMT.
(Reporting by Mensholong Lepcha in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter
Cooney)