SYDNEY/WELLINGTON: Australian shares slipped on Monday, weighed by losses in technology shares, as Brisbane announcing a fresh three-day lockdown raised fears of a slow economic recovery.

The S&P/ASX 200 index closed 0.4% lower at 6,799.50, after gaining 0.5% on Friday.

Technology stocks tumbled 2.8% to close at an over two-week low of 1,930.50, with Afterpay shedding 4.2% and Xero losing about 3.5%.

Healthcare stocks finished down 0.8%, with CSL slipping 0.8% and Healius losing 2.6%.

The energy sector was subdued.

Meanwhile, Treasury Wine Estates fell 1.5% after China’s Ministry of Commerce imposed a combined 175.6% anti-dumping and countervailing duty rate for its Australian country-of-origin wine in China.

New Zealand’s benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index gained 0.16% to finish the session at 12,368.13. The top gainers on the index were Serko Ltd and Meridian Energy, each adding about 3.5%.