(Reuters) – Australian shares are set to open higher on Thursday, after U.S. President Donald Trump requested the Congress to pass smaller economic relief packages, and in the afterglow of the domestic government’s promise to spend billions in stimulus as part of the federal budget.
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.4% at 21:19 GMT, a 8.6-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark rose 1.3% on Wednesday.
New Zealand’s benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.3% in early trade.
Reporting by Soumyajit Saha in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese