July 13 (Reuters) - Australian shares slipped on Wednesday, dragged down by mining and energy stocks, hit by subdued commodity and metal prices following fresh COVID-19 curbs in China to control rising cases.
The S&P/ASX 200 index fell as much as 0.3% to 6584.1 by 0041 GMT. The benchmark lost 1% on Tuesday.
Leading declines, energy stocks receded 2%, their biggest drop in a week, as oil prices fell on weak demand in top crude importer China and a strong dollar.
Index heavyweights Woodside Energy and Santos shed 3.1% and 2.7%, respectively.
Domestic miners erased as much as 1.6% to hit their lowest level since November, as iron ore prices fell on persistent demand woes in top metal consumer China.
Sector majors Rio Tinto, BHP Group and Fortescue Metals skidded between 1% and 2%.
Bucking the trend, financials added as much as 0.2%, with National Australia Bank and Macquarie advancing 0.3% and 0.6%, respectively.
However, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group lost 0.4%, after the company confirmed that it was in discussions with U.S. private-equity firm KKR & Co for a potential acquisition of Australian software firm MYOB Group.
Technology sub-index was a bright spot, jumping 1.3%. Shares of network services provider Megaport and accounting software producer Xero gained as much as 3.1% and 2.1%, respectively.
Gold stocks tracked weak bullion prices pressured by strength in the dollar, losing as much as 0.6%.
Sector leaders Northern Star Resources and Newcrest Mining slipped 0.4% and 0.7%, respectively.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index jumped 0.4% to 11152.1, with investors awaiting the central bank's rate decision due later in the day.
Maybank analysts expect another four 50-basis-point hikes from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand this year.
(Reporting by Roushni Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
