Sept 12 (Reuters) - Australian shares are likely to open higher on Tuesday, taking cues from an upbeat close on Wall Street in the previous session as investors took heart from Hurricane Irma weakening to a tropical storm and North Korea not launching a missile over the weekend.
The S&P 500 index closed higher, led by financial stocks, with insurers advancing as hurricane Irma caused less than expected damage. .N
Meanwhile, demand for safe-haven assets fell as investors found relief in the fact that North Korea held off any fresh actions over the weekend. MKTS/GLOB
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.5 percent, or 31 points, to 5,736, a 22.9-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark rose 0.7 percent on Monday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 was flat in early trade.