Tech stocks slump to 8-mth low, top drag on ASX 200 BHP"s Q2 iron ore output jumps, flags virus-related disruptions Financial stocks lose 1.3% Jan 19 (Reuters) - Australian shares on Wednesday tracked a sell-off on Wall Street overnight, with tech stocks leading the decline after the Nasdaq index dropped over 2%, while local miners slipped as copper and gold prices weakened. Global miner BHP Group (BHP.AX) dropped up to 1.2% in early trade amid a general weakness in the mining sub-index and as the company warned of possible disruptions in Western Australia due to rising COVID-19 cases. read more The S&P/ASX 200 index (.AXJO) dropped 0.8% to 7,354 points by 2311 GMT. The benchmark had closed 0.1% lower in the previous session. Equity markets tumbled on Tuesday as traders braced for the U.S. Federal Reserve to tackle fast-rising inflation by tightening monetary policy. Tech stocks (.AXIJ) dived nearly 3% to their lowest levels since May 24, with sector major Afterpay (APT.AX) falling 0.5%. Miners (.AXMM) slipped 0.6%, with Fortescue Metals (FMG.AX) falling as much as 2.3%. Australia"s Lynas Rare Earths (LYC.AX) posted record second-quarter revenue on Wednesday. However, shares fell 0.9%. Financials (.AXFJ) also dragged the benchmark lower with their 1.3% drop. Macquarie Group, one of country"s top lenders, slid 2.5% to hit its lowest since Dec. 20. Gold stocks (.AXGD) slid nearly 1% as investors ditched the safe-haven bullion after the dollar and U.S. Treasury yields strengthened. Evolution mining (EVN.AX) was down 1.3%. Energy stocks bucked the overall negative trend to rise over 1% amid robust oil prices. Sector heavyweights Santos (STO.AX) and Woodside Petroleum (WPL.AX) gained 1.8% and 1%, respectively, ahead of their production figures scheduled to be released on Thursday. Meanwhile, a measure of Australian consumer sentiment slipped in January as a surge in coronavirus cases soured the national mood, curbing spending and mobility in what is typically a holiday-heavy month. read more In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index (.NZ50) was down 0.8% at 12,705.82 points.