MELBOURNE, March 17 (Reuters) - Australian shares are set to open firmer on Thursday, while New Zealand ticked higher, with risk appetite back on after the U.S. Federal Reserve flagged it would raise rates more slowly than expected this year.
Pointing to a higher operning, Australian share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.7 percent to 5,162, a 43-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark inched up 0.15 percent on Wednesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 picked up 1.7 points to 6,564.7 in early trade.
Australia's biggest department store chain, Myer MYR.AX , will be in the frame on Thursday. It raised the bottom end of the range of its net profit forecast for the 2016 financial year after reporting a 4 percent fall in half-year net profit. health care IT firm Oneview Healthcare Plc ONE.AX makes its debut on the Australian bourse on Thursday.
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