Australian shares ended lower on Wednesday, erasing nearly all their gains from the previous session with financials bearing the brunt of the losses.The SP/ASX 200 index fell 0.4 per cent to 6,183.4 at the close of trade, below Tuesday's finish at 6,210.2.Shares fell despite retail sales data for the month of May coming in slightly higher than expected, rising 0.4 per cent.Still, annual growth in retail sales slowed to a sombre 2.5 per cent, well below the 5 per cent-plus that used to be considered commonplace."The retail sector has been under sustained pressure for many years," said Michael McCarthy, chief strategist at CMC Markets and Stockbroking.Financial stocks accounted for around a half of the losses on the benchmark as investors booked profits, with the main financial index down 0.7 per cent.Platinum Investment Management, which has investments in China, was the top per centage loser, closing about 9 per cent lower to a near 11-month nadir as trade war concerns weakened Chinese asset prices.Among the "Big Four" banks, National Australia Bank and Commonwealth Bank of Australia were the biggest drags, falling 1.3 per cent and 0.5 per cent, respectively.A slight recovery in commodity prices helped steady the resources sector after China's central bank assured markets it would keep the yuan stable.BHP pared earlier losses to close flat, while Rio Tinto fell 0.8 per cent.
The metals and mining index closed 0.1 per cent lower.The benchmark gold index climbed 1 per cent, supported by gold prices hitting a one-week high as the US dollar softened.New Zealand's benchmark SP/NZX 50 index fell 0.3 per cent, or 27.95 points to finish the session at 9,025.64.a2 Milk Company was the worst performer on the index, falling 3.4 per cent after strong gains in the previous session when its supply contract with Synlait Milk was extended.