The S&P/ASX 200 index closed 0.42% lower at 5,384.6 points, having gained more than 3% in the past two sessions as the country eased coronavirus restrictions.

Dragging the benchmark on Wednesday, the financials sector fell 1.1% as the country's "Big Four" banks lost between 0.8% and 2.4%.

Topping the losses on the benchmark on Wednesday, National Storage REIT dropped 6.51% as it resumed trade following a discounted A$300 mln ($193.53 mln) share placement.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index rose 0.8% on the back of gains in healthcare stocks to finish the session at 10,572.84 points.

Copyright Reuters, 2020