Nov 25 (Reuters) - Australian shares were set to open higher on Wednesday, tracking a strong rally on Wall Street overnight, as progress on COVID-19 vaccines and a formal go-ahead for U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's transition to the White House lifted sentiment.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI crossed 30,000 points for the first time as the political uncertainty in Washington eased. local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.6%, a 39.9-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark rose 1.3% on Tuesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 1.2% to 12,702.16 by 2117 GMT.