Australia

Australian shares are set to open lower, after US stocks fell as tensions in the Middle East remain high.

ASX futures were down 0.32% or 27 points as of 8:00am on Friday, suggesting a lower open.

Oil prices jumped and US stock indexes faltered as investors weighed the risk of escalating conflict in the Middle East against signs that the U.S. economy is ticking along.

All three major indexes fell, led by the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which dropped 0.4%. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite fell less then 0.1%.

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was up 5.0% to US$77.62 a barrel, while gold was unchanged at US$2,655.55.

The Australian dollar was at 68.39 US cents, up from its previous close of 68.38.

Asia

China markets were closed due to a public holiday.

Hong Kong shares ended lower. The benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 1.5% to 22,113.51.

Japanese shares closed higher. The Nikkei Stock Average rose 2.0% to 38,552.06.

India shares ended lower. The BSE SENSEX slipped 2.1% to 82,497.10.

Europe

Stocks in the U.K. finished lower. The FTSE 100 Index lost 0.1% to 8,282.52.

In Europe, shares closed lower. Germany's DAX fell 0.8% to 19,015.41, and France's CAC 40 dropped 1.3% to 7,477.78.

North America

U.S. stocks ended mixed. The DJIA slipped 0.4% to 42,011.59, the S&P 500 fell 0.2% to 5,699.94, and the Nasdaq was unchanged at 17,918.48.

Among S&P 500 companies, the top three gainers were MarketAxess Holdings Inc, surging 7.54%, Valero Energy Corp jumped 6.15%, and Marathon Petroleum Corp lifted 5.72%.

The biggest decliners were Constellation Brands Inc which dropped 4.70%, Bio-Techne Corp fell 4.43%, and Universal Health Services Inc lost 3.94%.