Dec 3 (Reuters) - Australian shares will likely open higher on Thursday, with miners expected to make strides on the back of a rally in iron ore prices, underpinned by continued demand for the steel-making ingredient in China.
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.3%, a 23.8-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark ended little changed on Wednesday.
In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.2% in early trade on Thursday.