Australian stocks to start lower after mixed Wall St session

The news: The Australian sharemarket is set to start lower after major US indices ended mixed as investors remain cautious about the path for interest rates.

The numbers: The Dow Jones index fell 0.2%, the broader S&P 500 eked out gains of 0.02% while the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.22%. In the local market, ASX 200 futures were trading 13 points or 0.18% lower at 7055 points at 0700 AEST on Thursday.

The context: The see-saw session on Wall Street came ahead of second-quarter US GDP data and personal consumption expenditures price index that will help investors weigh the path ahead for interest rates. A looming partial US government shutdown by the weekend and high oil prices have added to their worries as they grapple with benchmark Treasury yields that have climbed to 16-year highs. In the local market, traders are focused on monthly retail sales data due at 11.30 AEST to assess the chance of another rate hike this year.