Jan 11 (Reuters) - Australian shares were set to edge higher on Friday, as assurances from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell offset concerns over lack of concrete details in the latest round of U.S.-China trade talks.
Powell reiterated the views of other policymakers that the Fed would be patient about interest rate hikes. trade-related optimism faded as China offered little details on key issues at stake including the scheduled U.S. tariff increase on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports. share price index futures YAPcm1 firmed 0.2 percent to 5,749, a 46.3-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark rose 0.3 percent on Thursday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 was little changed in early trade at 8,918.66.