Credit: REUTERS/DAVID GRAYApril 23 (Reuters) - Australian shares were little changed on Friday, looking past a weak finish overnight on Wall Street, as selling in local miners and energy firms offset gains in banks and healthcare companies.
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO was largely unchanged at 7,053.90 by 0050 GMT. It was on track to lose about 0.2% for the week, snapping a four-week winning streak.
All three major U.S. indexes finished about 1% lower on Thursday following reports that President Joe Biden planned to double the capital gains tax and raise income taxes on the wealthy. .N
Elsewhere, Japan's Nikkei .N225 declined 1.36%, while MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS closed 0.4% higher overnight. .TMKTS/GLOB
In Australia, miners .AXMM were the biggest drags on the benchmark, losing 1%, with mining giants BHP Group BHP.AX and Rio Tinto RIO.AX falling about 1.8%.
Energy firms .AXEJ were down 0.6%, with Oil Search OSH.AX leading the losses as it shed 1.6% on slashing its 2021 investment expense.
Financial stocks .AXFJ edged higher. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group ANZ.AX and National Australia Bank NAB.AX added 0.4% and 0.6%, respectively.
Troubled wealth manager AMP AMP.AX jumped to the top of the index, advancing 7.6%, after it announced plans of a spin off and re-branding of its unit AMP Capital's private markets business, ending talks with Ares Management ARES.N to sell the business.
In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 swung between positive and negative territory, and was little changed as of 0015 GMT. It was on track to lose 0.8% for the week.
The top percentage gainer on the benchmark was Mercury NZ Ltd MCY.NZ, adding 3.28%, while top loser was Vista Group International VGL.NZ, slipping 2.6%.
(Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V)
((Sameer.Manekar@thomsonreuters.com; +918061823447;))
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