Nov 5 (Reuters) - Australian shares were set to open slightly higher on Thursday, taking leads from rallies on Wall Street as investors cheered the possibility of gridlock in the U.S. Congress that would make the Democratic agenda of more regulation unlikely.
U.S. President Donald Trump's win in the major battleground state of Florida early in the day led investors to believe Democratic Party control of Congress was not in the cards even if former Vice President Joe Biden winds up winning the White House. local share price index futures YAPcm1 gained 0.15%, a 0.9-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark ended little changed on Wednesday after volatile trade.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.6% in early trade.