• Australian gold miners fall as much as 2.4%, while the broader benchmark was down 0.5% as of 0210 GMT

• Bullion prices slid more than 1% in early Asian trade, as fears of the Strait of Hormuz closure drove oil prices sharply higher and revived expectations of elevated interest rates to combat inflationary pressures [GOL/]

• Shares of gold miners Northern Star Resources were down 2.6%, while St Barbara and Evolution Mining

lost 2.7% and 1.7%, respectively

• Sub-index has fallen 18.8% YTD

(Reporting by Roshan Thomas in Bengaluru)