SYDNEY, April 14 (Reuters) - Australian shares seem set to open higher for a third straight session on Thursday after Wall Street racked up solid gains and key commodities such as iron ore extended their recent rally.
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.8 percent, a 21-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark jumped 1.6 percent on Wednesday in the wake of improving Chinese trade data and strength in commodity prices.
Domestic data on employment due later in the session could also aid sentiment given analysts generally expect a bounce of around 20,000 in jobs, with some chance of a much larger increase.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.2 percent in early trade.
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