Jan 4 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to open higher on Thursday, inspired by continued strength on Wall Street where major indexes climbed to record levels, while upbeat oil prices are also likely to support energy stocks.
The S&P 500 index rose above 2,700 for the first time on Wednesday and other major indexes hit record highs, lifted by technology stocks. Meanwhile, oil prices rose about 2 percent to its highest in 2-1/2 years. .N O/R
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.5 percent or 32 points to 6,063, a 7.4-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark rose 0.2 percent on Wednesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.1 percent in early trade.