Australia shares set to rally as U.S. prepares for rate hike

SYDNEY, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Australian shares were poised for a strong start on Thursday, helped by indications from the U.S. Federal Reserve that the world's biggest economy is strong enough to cope with a rate hike next month. Soft commodity prices were likely to be an overhang for investors, though. The local share price index futures rose 1.1 percent, a 52.9-point premium to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index. The benchmark ended 0.3 percent higher on Wednesday. BHP Billiton will be