Oct 11 (Reuters) - Australian shares were likely to open stronger on Friday as positive comments from Washington and Beijing spurred optimism over a possible de-escalation in trade tensions.
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.6%, or 42 points, to 6,571.0, a 23.9-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close, which ended largely unchanged on Thursday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.1% in early trade.