Sept 22 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to extend gains into a third consecutive session on Thursday, as markets cheer the U.S. Federal Reserve's overnight decision to hold off on a rate rise.
The central bank left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday but strongly signaled it could still tighten monetary policy by the end of this year. local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.6 percent, or 32 points, to 5,355, a 15.4-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark finished 0.7 percent higher on Wednesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 was up 0.5 percent, or 38.88 points, at 7,320.05 at 22:10 GMT.
The benchmark ended 0.4 percent lower in the previous session.
For a summary of overnight action across global markets, double click on AU/CALL
For a digest of the day's business stories in Australian newspapers, double click on PRESS/AUB