Dec 7 (Reuters) - Australian shares are seen edging higher at open on Thursday before the release of October trade balance data later in the session.
A Reuters poll sees it posting a surplus of A$1.38 billion in October.
Energy stocks, however, may face some pressure due to weakness in oil. O/R
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 was up 0.27 percent, or 16 points at 5,967, a 21.3-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark ended Wednesday down 0.4 percent.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 was up 0.2 percent, or 14.67 points, to 8,145.53 at 2106 GMT after posting three straight losing sessions.