SYDNEY, April 13 (Reuters) - New Zealand shares got off to a buoyant start on Wednesday, while their Australian peers were set to follow suit after an inspiring performance on Wall Street, with higher oil prices likely to fuel demand for energy stocks.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.24 percent, or 15.99 points, to 6,742.00 in early trade.
Pointing to a firm open, Australia's stock index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.8 percent to 4,993.0, a 17.4-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO . The benchmark closed 0.9 percent higher on Tuesday.
For a summary of overnight action across global markets, double click on AU/CALL
For a digest of the day's business stories in Australian newspapers, double click on PRESS/AUB