April 13 (Reuters) - Australia shares are expected to rise on Friday, tracking Wall Street, which ended higher on strong earnings expectations and easing geopolitical concerns as U.S. President Donald Trump suggested a military strike on Syria may not be imminent.
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 18 points to 5,815.0, a 0.5-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark slipped 0.2 percent on Thursday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.6 percent in early trade.