July 17 (Reuters) - Australian shares are set to open higher
on Friday, cheered on by government stimulus and record
employment numbers in June, with investors looking past a rise
in the jobless rate.
Though the jobless rate in June hit a 22-year high,
employment rose by a record as Australia emerged from
coronavirus-induced lockdowns.
Adding to sentiment, the Australian government is injecting
a further A$1.5 billion ($1.05 billion) into a wage subsidy
programme to counter rising unemployment.
The local share price index futures rose 0.2%, a
20.9-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index
close. The benchmark fell 0.7% on Thursday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index fell 0.09%
in early trade.
($1 = 1.4349 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Arundhati Dutta in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie
Adler)
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