News: XEJ Australian shares rangebound as financials weigh; US data in focus

	  Investors eye U.S. payroll data 

	  ASX 200 largely flat  

	  BHP appoints new CFO 

(Updates to close)

Australian shares ended marginally lower on Thursday, as gains by miners largely offset losses in financial stocks, while investors exercised caution ahead of a key U.S. jobs data later in the day for further cues on the Federal Reserve's next moves.

The S&P/ASX 200 index (xjo) ended nearly 0.1% lower at 7,173.30 points, after hitting a two-month high on Wednesday.

Softening data from the world's largest economy and recent comments from Fed officials, including Chair Jerome Powell, have heightened expectations that the U.S. rates have peaked and that rate cuts will roll in as early as March.

Back in Australia, economic data has been undershooting expectations over the past week, with retail sales, CPI (Consumer Price Index) and GDP all pointing towards an economy that is cooling, according to Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.

"The cautious mood is giving traders reason to take some profits off the table given the strong run higher in equity markets throughout the last month and a half."

Financial stocks .AXFJ weighed the most on the benchmark, falling 0.4% after clocking a more than two-month high in the previous session.

Sector majors ANZ Group (ANZ) and National Australia Bank (NAB) both lost about 0.4%.

Heavyweight miners, on the other hand, gained about 0.7%, buoyed by a rise in iron ore prices on positive updates from major producers and ongoing robust demand. IRONORE/

Shares of Rio Tinto (RIO) gained about 1% while Fortescue (FMG) rose around 1.6%

World's largest miner BHP Group (BHP) jumped 0.4% after appointing Vandita Pant as its chief financial officer.

Across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index (nz50) gained nearly 0.3% to finish the session at 11496.61 points.

Among individual companies, Fonterra Co-Operative (FCG) rose as much as 3.2% on improved earnings and milk price forecasts.