March 2 (Reuters) - Australian shares are set to open higher on Thursday, mirroring Wall Street, as U.S. President Donald Trump's measured tone in his first speech to the Congress lifted sentiment.
In his speech, Trump stated that he was open to immigration reform and said that he wanted a healthcare overhaul, broad tax cuts and a $1 trillion public-private initiative to rebuild degraded roads and bridges in the U.S. local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.9 percent, or 50 points, to 5,733, a 28.2-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark fell 0.1 percent on Wednesday. New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.5 percent, or 35.76 points in early trade.
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