Australia

Australian shares are set to open higher, after a bumpy week in U.S. markets.

ASX futures were up 0.76% or 59 points as of 8:00am on Monday, suggesting a higher open.

U.S. stocks inched higher Friday as major indexes ended a volatile week of trading with only small losses.

DJIA rose 51 points, or 0.1%, to 39,497, the S&P 500 gained 0.5% to 5,344 and the Nasdaq added 0.5% to 16,745. For the week the DJIA slipped 0.6%, the Nasdaq lost 0.2% and the S&P 500 was nearly flat.

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was up 0.6% to US$79.66 a barrel, while gold was up 0.2% at US$2,431.32.

The Australian dollar was at 65.72 US cents.

Asia

Chinese shares closed lower, dragged by consumer products and services stocks. The country's July CPI and PPI data beat market expectations but don't ease deflationary concerns, Citi economists write in a note. Zhongbai Holdings fell 9.9% and Sanjiang Shopping Club was down 5.3%. Offcn Education Technology closed 9.2% lower. Semiconductor stocks led the gains, with Ingenic Semiconductor up 0.7%. Bank stocks also rose, with Bank of Hangzhou and Bank of Shanghai up 0.5% and 0.4%, respectively. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index closed 0.3% lower at 2,862.19. The Shenzhen Composite Index dropped 0.7% and the ChiNext Price Index ended 1.0% lower.

Hong Kong shares ended higher, with the Hang Seng Index advancing 1.2% to 17,090.23. Investor sentiment was boosted by better-than-expected U.S. labor data, which helped to ease recession concerns. Tech stocks led gains, with the Hang Seng Tech Index up 2.1%. Xiaomi rose 3.5% and NetEase was 3.1% higher. SMIC added 4.9% after its 2Q results beat. Meanwhile, China Unicom fell 3.8% and China Mobile dropped 1.3%.

Japanese stocks ended higher, led by gains in banks and trading houses as concerns about the U.S. labor market ease. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group gained 3.7% and Itochu Corp. climbed 6.1%. The Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.6% to 35,025.00. The 10-year Japanese government bond yield was up 2.5 basis points to 0.855%. Investors are focusing on earnings and any potential escalation of conflicts in the Middle East.

India's Sensex closed 1.0% higher at 79,705.91, with auto stocks broadly advancing. Markets appear to be going through a relief rally as U.S. jobless claims figures suggest last week's data was an anomaly, and U.S. stocks rebounded strongly overnight, the CIMB treasury and markets research team said in a note. Among advancers, Tech Mahindra rose 2.7%, while Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra each gained 2.5%. EV maker Ola Electric Mobility rose 20% in its trading debut. Meanwhile, Kotak Mahindra Bank edged 0.2% lower.

Europe

Stocks in the U.K. rose Friday, as the FTSE 100 Index added 0.3% to 8,168.10.

Among large companies, Deliveroo PLC was the biggest gainer during the session, surging 5.1%, and Domino's Pizza Group PLC surged 4.4%. Coats Group PLC rounded out the top three movers on Friday, as shares gained 4.1%.

Ocado Group PLC posted the largest decline, dropping 6.0%, followed by shares of Indivior PLC, which fell 4.9%. Shares of Hill & Smith PLC fell 4.2%.

In other parts of Europe markets closed higher, with the STOXX Europe 600 Index up 0.6% to 499.19, Germany's DAX gained 0.2% to 17,722.88 and France's CAC 40 rose 0.3% to 7,269.71.

North America

U.S. stocks inched higher Friday as major indexes ended a volatile week of trading with only small losses.

DJIA rose 51 points, or 0.1%, to 39,497, the S&P 500 gained 0.5% to 5,344 and the Nasdaq added 0.5% to 16,745. For the week the DJIA slipped 0.6%, the Nasdaq lost 0.2% and the S&P 500 was nearly flat.

Stocks dropped on Monday in reaction to the previous Friday's mild labor data and a sharp selloff in Japan as funds unwound bets funded by yen carry trade. But a drop in initial jobless claims on Thursday helped deflate some economic worries and concerns the Fed would need to act quickly to stem the slide.

Technology was the best performing sector Friday with six of the Magnificent 7 stocks gaining.