Australia

Australian shares are set to open higher, after US stocks ended higher on strong economic data and Micron earnings.

ASX futures were up 0.22% or 19 points as of 8:00am on Friday, suggesting a higher open.

US stocks rose, thanks in part to miners like Freeport-McMoRan and industrial firms including 3M and Caterpillar. Micron shares surged 15% after the company said robust AI demand lifted its earnings and that the outlook was bright.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.6%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.6%. The S&P 500 edged 0.4% higher and is on pace for its best performance through the first three quarters of the year since 1997.

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was down 2.5% to US$71.60 a barrel, while gold was flat at US$2,672.30.

The Australian dollar was at 68.91 US cents, down from its previous close of 68.93.

Asia

Chinese shares closed higher. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 3.6% to 3,000.95, and the Shenzhen Composite Index added 4.0% to 1,638.36.

Hong Kong shares ended higher. The benchmark Hang Seng Index increased 4.2% to 19,924.58.

Japanese shares closed higher. The Nikkei Stock Average gained 2.8% to 38,925.63.

India shares ended higher. The BSE SENSEX rose 0.8% to 85,836.12.

Europe

Stocks in the U.K. finished higher. The FTSE 100 Index added 0.2% to 8,284.91.

In Europe, shares closed higher. Germany's DAX gained 1.7% to 19,238.36, and France's CAC 40 rose 2.3% to 7,742.09.

North America

U.S. stocks ended higher. The DJIA increased 0.6% to 42,175.11, the S&P 500 added 0.4% to 5,745.37, and the Nasdaq gained 0.6% to 18,190.29.

Among S&P 500 companies, the top three gainers were Micron Technology Inc, surging 14.82%, Jabil Inc jumped 11.69%, and The Estee Lauder Companies Inc lifted 10.01%.

The biggest decliners were Super Micro Computer Inc which dropped 12.16%, Diamondback Energy Inc fell 6.45%, and Targa Resources Corp lost 5.94%.