Australia shares expected for a steady start, NZ flat

Aug 16 (Reuters) - Australian shares are likely to open flat on Wednesday, tracking Wall Street which ended little changed after retailer stocks' results weighed, offsetting gains on strong U.S. retail sales data in July. Worries about retailers' earnings and the outlook for home improvement stores dragged on the S&P, with Home Depot Inc and Lowe's Companies Inc representing biggest drags on the benchmark. The local share price index futures fell