Sept 1 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to open higher on Friday, taking cues from an upbeat close on Wall Street in the previous session, while strong metal prices are likely to lift miners.
U.S. stocks ended higher on Thursday as investors took heart from economic data and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's comments that President Donald Trump's administration has a detailed plan on tax reform and is on track to implement it by year-end. .N
Commodity prices also rose on Thursday, with Chinese rebar steel futures climbing nearly 2 percent and copper prices at near three-year highs after data showed growth in the country's manufacturing sector sped up in August. IRONORE/ MET/L
The local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.1 percent or 5 points to 5,693, a 21.5-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark rose 0.8 percent on Thursday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 was flat in early trade.