(Corrects paragraph 2 to say benchmark rose 4.5%, not fell 0.5% last month; fixes typo to "straight" in paragraph 13)

Dec 1 (Reuters) - Australian shares snapped a three-day winning streak to drop on Friday, pulled down by financials and technology stocks, as traders gauged uncertainty over future interest rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The S&P/ASX 200 index was down 0.6% points at 7,043, as of 2359 GMT, after closing 0.7% higher on Thursday. The benchmark rose 4.5% last month.

U.S. Fed officials have so far provided mixed messages on monetary policy, with few wondering if the rates were sufficiently restricted to restore price stability.

On the domestic bourse, rate-sensitive financial stocks fell 0.7%, and the "Big Four" banks slid between 0.4% and 0.6%.

The sub-index, however, was set to close the week higher on optimism around lower interest rates from domestic and U.S. central banks as inflationary pressures eased.

Information technology stocks were the worst hit, slumping nearly 2% to mark their biggest intraday loss since Nov. 9.

Sector majors Xero fell 3% and Wisetech Global lost 1.7%.

Energy stocks also edged lower, with Origin Energy dropping 0.6%.

Origin said its LNG vessel, which had lost power on Tuesday and was stuck at the Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) facility, has departed.

Heavyweights Woodside Energy plunged 1% while Santos edged 0.7% lower.

Shares of healthcare companies, real estate and gold inched lower between 0.2% and 0.6%.

Separately, Coles Group fell nearly 1% even as Australia's competition regulator gave consent to the retailer's proposed acquisition of two milk processing plants from dairy processor Saputo.

Across the Tasman sea, New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index was flat at 11,343.5, but on track to close higher for a fifth straight week, if gains hold.

Central bank deputy governor on Friday warned that persistently high core inflation "left little room for error" around monetary policy.

(Reporting by Poonam Behura in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)