(Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to inch down on Thursday, as uncertainty over a U.S.-China trade deal increased after Washington passed pro-democracy legislation in support of Hong Kong.
The Australian share price index futures <YAPcm1> fell 0.2% or 14 points, a 32.5-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index <.AXJO> close. The benchmark closed 1.3% higher on Wednesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index <.NZ50> fell 0.1%, or 14.98 points, to 11,163.66 in early trade.
(Reporting by Devika Syamnath in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler)
