Dec 11 (Reuters) - Australian shares fell on Wednesday with mining and financial stocks acting as top laggards on the benchmark, as investors remained cautious ahead of local jobs data due on Thursday, a key metric to better gauge the central bank's rate cut timeline.

The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.3% to 8,372.1 points by 1124 GMT. The benchmark fell 0.4% on Tuesday.

In Australia, investors will be assessing local jobs data slated to release on Thursday, to gain further insight into the Reserve Bank of Australia's $(RBA)$ monetary policy timeline.

The central bank kept the cash rate unchanged at 4.35% but softened its hawkish stance on Tuesday, and markets are now expecting the next rate cut in early 2025.

Traders around the world also await Wednesday's U.S. consumer price index report to better understand the trajectory of inflation and gain clarity on the incoming Federal Reserve policy meeting.

A Reuters poll of economists found 90% anticipate a 25-basis-point rate cut from the Fed at its Dec. 18 meeting.

On the Sydney bourse, heavyweight miners fell 0.2%, dragging the broader benchmark lower.

Diversified miner South32 fell as much as 4.1% to hit its lowest level since Nov. 15, as civil unrest in Mozambique negatively impacted its Mozal Aluminium smelter in the country.

Rate-sensitive financials slipped 0.2%, with the country's top lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia dropping 0.3%.

Energy stocks fell 0.4%, tracking the broader index.

Sector heavyweights Woodside Energy and Santos descended 0.5% and 0.6%, respectively.

Gold stocks bucked the trend to advance 0.2% as bullion prices surge.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index rose 0.1% to 12,731.4 points.

(Reporting by Adwitiya Srivastava in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)

((Adwitiya.Srivastava@thomsonreuters.com))

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