April 9 (Reuters) - Australian shares are set to open higher on Thursday tracking Wall Street gains as hopes of a peak in the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. bolstered sentiment, with strength in oil futures and iron ore prices likely to benefit index heavyweights.
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 1.3%, a 41.1-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark fell 0.9% on Wednesday.
In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.2% in early trade.