Jan 7 (Reuters) - Australian shares are set to open higher
on Tuesday, as energy and mining stocks continue to lift the
benchmark, amid rising tensions in the Middle East after a U.S.
air strike killed a top Iranian military commander.
Oil prices edged higher and gold prices strengthened in safe
haven buying, as fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East
intensified following the attack last week.
The local share price index futures rose 0.45%, a
32.7-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index
close. The benchmark inched 0.03% higher on Monday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index slipped
0.06% by 2125 GMT.
(Reporting by Nikhil Subba in Bengaluru
Editing by Chris Reese)
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