Australian shares finished flat for a second consecutive session on Wednesday, as losses in BHP , the country's biggest company by market capitalisation, offset gains in consumer staples and real estate stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 index ticked up 0.1 percent or 2.8 points to 5,943.700 at the close of trade. The benchmark edged down 0.688 points on Tuesday.

Shares of BHP slumped 4.8 percent, their steepest loss in more than 11 months. The world's biggest miner reported a 25 percent rise in half-year underlying profit to $4.05 bln, but missed estimates of $4.30 bln according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. A strengthening in the US dollar was also driving a weakness across the broader materials sector, with mining stocks under pressure.

Global miner Rio Tinto Ltd lost 1.6 percent and was among the biggest drags on the index, while South32 Ltd fell 2.5 percent to a near four-month low. Australia-listed shares of a2 Milk Company rose 29.7 percent to a record high and accounted for most of the gains on the benchmark.

Meanwhile, a2 Milk Company Ltd's New Zealand shares soared 26.5 percent to a record high and accounted for most of the gain on the NZX. The benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index climbed 1.3 percent or 102.000 points to finish the session at 8,200.270.

Copyright Reuters, 2018