Its "big four" peers Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Westpac Banking Corp fell 1.2% and 0.8%, respectively. The sentiment was also soured after PacWest Bancorp's move to explore strategic options deepened fears about the health of U.S. lenders and hit shares of regional U.S. banks overnight. Among other sectors, miners dropped 0.6% after iron ore futures hit five-month lows. Sector majors BHP Group and Rio Tinto retreated 0.9% and 1.2%, respectively. Energy stocks fell 0.2%. Oil prices held steady but were set for a third straight week of losses. Gold stocks rose 1% to mark their third consecutive session of gains. Bullion prices were hovering near record highs as U.S. banking concerns accelerated a flight to the safe-haven asset. Newcrest Mining and Northern Star Resources gained about 1.5% and 0.7%, respectively. New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index fell 0.7% to 11,888.80. (Reporting by Himanshi Akhand in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh Venkateshwaran)
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