Australia

Australian shares are set to open higher, after US stocks fell as data showed inflation was still resilient.

ASX futures were up 0.63% or 52 points as of 9:00am on Friday, suggesting a higher open.

Major US indexes slipped after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank would take its time in deciding how quickly to lower interest rates.

Earlier in the session, the latest read on prices showed that getting inflation back down to 2% is proving to be a grind.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.5%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite each lost 0.6%

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was down 0.2% to US$72.39 a barrel, while gold was flat at US$2,565.08.

The Australian dollar was at 64.54 US cents, down from its previous close of 64.84.

Asia

Chinese shares closed lower. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.7% to 3,379.84, and the Shenzhen Composite Index fell 2.8% to 2,060.23.

Hong Kong shares ended lower. The benchmark Hang Seng Index dropped 2.0% to 19,435.81.

Japanese shares closed lower. The Nikkei Stock Average slipped 0.5% to 38,535.70.

India shares ended lower. The BSE SENSEX lost 0.1% to 77,580.31.

Europe

Stocks in the U.K. finished higher. The FTSE 100 Index rose 0.5% to 8,071.19.

In Europe, shares closed higher. Germany's DAX added 1.4% to 19,263.70, and France's CAC 40 gained 1.3% to 7,311.80.

North America

U.S. stocks ended lower. The DJIA fell 0.5% to 43,750.86, the S&P 500 dropped 0.6% to 5,949.17, and the Nasdaq slipped 0.6% to 19,107.65.

Among S&P 500 companies, the top three gainers were Tapestry Inc, surging 13.04%, Wynn Resorts Ltd jumped 8.59%, and First Solar Inc lifted 7.08%.

The biggest decliners were Leidos Holdings Inc which dropped 13.60%, Super Micro Computer Inc fell 11.41%, and Amentum Holdings Inc lost 10.90%.