Aussie Shares Fall After 7-Session Rally as Banks Tumble

STOCK MARKET - SYDNEY. Australian shares fell on Monday, after a seven-session rally, dragged down by a sell-off in banking stocks, with the country's oldest lender Westpac leading the decline after missing first-half profit expectations.

The S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.2% to 8,218.80 points by 0041 GMT. The benchmark had gained 1.1% on Friday.