ASX to rise; Wesfarmers ups payout, Telstra expands buyback to $1.25b

Australian shares are poised to open higher, though gains in futures faded in line with Wall Street after US Federal Reserve minutes suggested some policymakers had raised the risk of an interest rate hike.

ASX 200 futures were up 41 points or 0.5 per cent to 9005 near 8.20am. The S&P 500 rose 0.6 per cent while the Nasdaq added 0.8 per cent, having risen more than 1.2 per cent earlier.

Source: https://www.afr.com/markets/equity-markets/asx-to-rise-us-stocks-pare-gains-on-rate-rise-risk-20260219-p5o3im