March 29 (Reuters) - Australian shares were poised to open higher on Monday, tracking a strong session on Wall Street ahead of the weekend, while firmer commodity prices are likely to boost oil and gas companies and mining stocks.
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.7%, a 49-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark gained 0.5% on Friday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.5% to 12,404.64 points in early trade.