Dec 2 (Reuters) - Australian shares are set to open higher on Wednesday, extending gains from the previous session after major U.S. indexes hit record highs overnight on COVID-19 vaccine optimism and hopes of a speedy economic recovery.
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.6% ahead of Wednesday's start, a 33.5-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark added 1.1% on Tuesday.
In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 gained 0.5% in early trade on Wednesday.