The Australian sharemarket is set for a strong start on Thursday as US stocks got back to posting gains overnight, while the price of gold was pushing further past $US4000 per ounce.

ASX futures were up 41 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 9012 as of 6.33 am AEDT, smashing the 9000-mark. The gains come after three sessions in the red on the local bourse. The Australian dollar traded up 0.1 per cent at US65.86¢ as of 6.44 am.

Gains on Wall Street are expected to set the tone for the Australian market, with the S&P 500 back up 0.5 per cent a day in late afternoon trade after snapping its seven-day winning streak, and on track to top its all-time high set on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up less than 0.1 per cent with an hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.9 p

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