(Reuters) - Australian shares ended lower on Tuesday, led by losses for National Australia Bank <NAB.AX> and the nation's biggest telco operator Telstra <TLS.AX>.
The S&P/ASX 200 index <.AXJO> fell 0.6 percent, or 37.5 points, to 6,097.8, its lowest finish in a week.
NAB slipped to its lowest close since Nov 2016, down 3.4 percent as it traded ex-dividend, while Westpac Banking <WBC.AX> ended marginally lower. ANZ <ANZ.AX> and Commonwealth Bank <CBA.AX> rose 0.4 percent and 0.2 percent.
Telstra extended losses and finished the session near seven-year lows, down 5.6 percent.
The company issued a profit warning on Monday and said it expect conditions to remain challenging in 2019 with increased competition stemming from the National Broadband Network roll-out.
Miners BHP <BHP.AX> and Rio Tinto <RIO.AX> reversed course during the day and ended lower, in line with the downturn in copper, aluminium and oil prices. [MET/L] [O/R]
Automotive Holdings Group <AHG.AX> was the worst performer on the index, down 8.8 percent to its lowest since June last year.
The company said below-expected margin gains in the second half from its franchised dealerships and used car businesses will hit profits.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index <.NZ50> closed marginally lower by 4.45 points to 8,708.78, snapping nine straight days of gains after hitting all-time highs in multiple sessions.
Dairy company A2 Milk <ATM.NZ> and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare were the biggest drags, down over 1.5 percent each.
(Reporting by Susan Mathew in Bengaluru; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
