Aug 27 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to open higher on Thursday after Wall Street scaled fresh records overnight on robust corporate results while the rising coronavirus death toll at home could cap gains.
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 edged 0.25% higher, a 21.4-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark settled 0.7% lower on Wednesday, snapping two days of gains.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.3%, rising for a fifth straight session by 1040 GMT.