Australia Stock Futures Hint at Chance of a Record
2220 GMT – Australia's S&P/ASX 200 is set to open higher after major U.S. indices finished just short of records. ASX futures are up by 0.6% ahead of Friday's session, suggesting that the benchmark index could set a record of its own. The ASX 200 slipped 0.1% on Thursday but is still less than 0.5% away from the record close it set a little over two weeks ago. Ahead of the open, Suncorp said its chairman will step down at September's annual general meeting. On Wall Street, strength in tech stocks left the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite close to records. The S&P gained 0.8%, the Nasdaq rose 1.0%, and the DJIA added 0.9%. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

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