Australian shares are expected to rise on Thursday, supported by a stronger iron ore price, despite a mixed performance on Wall Street.
ASX futures climbed 17 points or 0.2% by 7am AEST.
Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.7%, the S&P 500 lost 0.2%, while the Nasdaq showed little change, edging up by 0.04%.
Iron ore futures on the Singapore Exchange continued their upward momentum, rising 1.8% to $US96.40 per tonne. This increase follows earlier reports of renewed economic stimulus efforts in China, boosting demand for the key steelmaking ingredient.
In local developments, key economic data, including job vacancies and wealth statistics, are set for release at 11:30 am AEST (1:30 am GMT).
Among companies, Brickworks and Washington H Soul Pattinson will provide earnings updates, while Air New Zealand is scheduled to hold its annual general meeting.
On the bond markets, 10-year and 2-year rates were at 3.98% and 3.565%, respectively.
