Fri Aug 9, 2013 2:25am EDT
SYDNEY Aug 9 (Reuters) - Australian shares fell 0.2 percent on Friday as banking stocks pulled back, but the market recouped some of its earlier losses on the back of higher metals prices and evidence of some stability in China's slowing economy.
The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 9.6 points to 5,055.2. The benchmark fell 1.2 percent for the week, its biggest weekly drop in two months.
Data showed industrial output growth in China, Australia's main export market, beat forecasts in July, adding to a picture of an economy that appears to be stabilising following a recent slowdown, though weaker-than-expected retail sales added a note of caution.
New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index fell 0.2 percent or 7.7 points to finish the session at 4,533.6. (Reporting by Thuy Ong; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
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