Australia shares seen up but Dow retreat may limit

SYDNEY, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Australian stocks may rise on Thursday as resources firms gain on higher gold, oil and metals prices, but a late pullback on Wall Street after the U.S. Federal Reserve policy statement may limit any gains.

The Fed voiced growing confidence that economic recovery was building, though it stuck to its commitment to keep borrowing costs near zero for "an extended period" [ID:nN04453484].

But U.S. stocks shed most of their gains after the Fed's decision gave investors few new reasons to boost holdings.

Australian stock index futures stood 23 points higher at 4,544, little changed from the 4,540.1 point close in the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index <.AXJO> on Wednesday.

Banks may rise after Westpac Banking Corp's <WBC.AX> upbeat earnings report on Wednesday.

Retailer David Jones <DJS.AX> will release its first-quarter sales report on Thursday, while contractor Leighton Holdings <LEI.AX> holds its annual meeting.

New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index <.NZ50> was up 0.4 percent at 3,178.4 points in early trade. ----------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT @ 2131 GMT ------------

INSTRUMENT LAST PCT CHG NET CHG S&P 500 <.SPX> 1046.5 0.1% 1.090 USD/JPY 90.66 0.4% 0.360 10-YR US TSY YLD 3.5218 -- 0.053 SPOT GOLD 1092.05 0.70% 7.550 US CRUDE 80.18 0.73% 0.580 DOW JONES <.DJI> 9802.14 0.31% 30.23 ASIA ADRS <.BKAS> 121.03 0.82% 0.99 ------------------------------------------------------------- * Wall St rally stalls late after Fed statement [.N] * Oil rises for 3rd day on inventory drop, Fed [O/R] * Gold hits record above $1,095/oz as dollar drops [GOL/] * Copper up on weak dollar, ahead of Fed statement [MET/L]

For a digest of the day's business stories in Australian newspapers, double click on [PRESS/AUB]