ASX set for soft start; Wall Street mixed; Iron ore creeps higher

Summary

• ASX futures are down 7 points, or 0.1%, and hint at a weak open for the local sharemarket on Friday
• The S&P 500 stumbled late to fall short of a third record high in a row. The Dow and Nasdaq rose amid vaccine optimism and better-than-expected economic data
• Iron ore prices have crept higher again, rising 0.6% to a new seven-year high of $US137.08 a tonne. BHP and Rio soared in offshore trade
• The Aussie dollar is trading at 74.44 US cents, and earlier hit a more than two year high of 74.49 US cents