Australia shares set to open higher, NZ rises

Jan 12 (Reuters) – Australia shares are expected to open higher on Wednesday, likely lifted by gains in the resource-reliant indexes on strong commodity prices, even as worries around surging COVID-19 cases and tighter monetary policies persist.

The local share price index futures rose 0.9%, but were at a 34.1-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index (.AXJO) close. The benchmark fell 0.8% on Tuesday.

New Zealand’s benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index (.NZ50) added 0.1% to 12,843.40 points in early trade.

Reporting by Yamini C S in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath

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