News: XIJ Australia shares end lower ahead of cenbank's minutes

	  Technology stocks biggest laggards on ASX 200 

	  RBA to release Sept. 5 meeting minutes on Tuesday  

	  Synlait Milk hits record low as a2 Milk says will cancel 

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Australian shares closed down on Monday, led by energy and technology stocks, as investors awaited minutes of the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) last policy meeting for clues on its future rate trajectory.

The S&P/ASX 200 index (xjo) fell 0.7% to 7,230.40 after closing 1.3% higher on Friday.

The RBA will release the minutes of its Sept. 5 meeting on Tuesday. It kept rates on hold in September for a third month after hiking by 400 basis points since May last year, but left the door open for more hikes.

The minutes will suggest that the country's economy is on track for a "soft landing," but could also repeat concerns about sticky services inflation, ANZ analysts wrote in a note.

On the local bourse, the biggest percentage losers - technology stocks .AXIJ - fell 2.7% to stage their biggest decline in more than three weeks, tracking overnight losses on the Wall Street.

Xero (XRO) declined 4.1% while the ASX-listed shares of Block (SQ2) slipped 1.7%.

Energy stocks .AXEJ retreated 1.3%. Heavyweights Woodside Energy (WDS) and Santos (STO) were down 1.4% and 1.6%, respectively.

Banks .AXFJ ended 0.5% lower. The Commonwealth Bank (CBA) fell 0.5% and the National Australia Bank (NAB) slid 0.3%.

Among individual stocks, Bluescope Steel's (BSL) shares dropped 4% to its lowest level in more than three months as an ongoing strike by United Auto Workers against the Detroit Three automakers in the United States affected the steel producer's North American business.

Costa Group (CGC) tanked 3.4% after it said U.S. private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners reduced its offer for shares it does not already own.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index (nz50) rose 0.4% to finish the session at 11,397.00.

Synlait Milk (SML) hit a record low after second-largest shareholder a2 Milk (ATM) said it will cancel the company's exclusive rights to manufacture and supply some of its infant milk formula products.