Australia

Australian shares are set to open lower, after U.S. benchmarks ended mostly flat.

ASX futures were down 0.62% or 51 points as of 9:00am on Friday, suggesting a lower open.

U.S. stocks were little changed, following Wednesday's steep losses, as investors prepared for fewer rate cuts over the next year. The latest reading on 3Q GDP rose more than expected and initial jobless claims slipped, showing the economy remained resilient.

Utilities and financials were the best performing sectors while real estate stocks fell over 1.5% as mortgage rates were likely to remain elevated. Energy stocks slipped with oil prices. Central banks in the U.K, and Japan held rates steady, while others, including Sweden's Riksbank, cut rates.

DJIA gained 15 points to 42342, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell about 0.1% to 5867 and 19372, respectively.

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was down 1.06% to US$72.61 a barrel, while gold was up 0.40% to US$2,595.62.

The Australian dollar was at 62.41 US cents, up from its previous close of 62.16.

Asia

Chinese shares closed mixed. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index dropped 0.4% to 3,370.03, and the Shenzhen Composite Index gained 0.4% to 2,032.85.

Hong Kong shares ended lower. The benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 0.6% to 19,752.51.

Japanese shares closed lower. The Nikkei Stock Average declined 0.7% to 38,813.58.

India shares ended lower. The BSE SENSEX fell 1.2% to 79,218.05.

Europe

Stocks in the U.K. finished lower. The FTSE 100 Index fell 1.1% to 8,105.32.

In Europe, shares closed lower. Germany's DAX fell 1.3% to 19,969.86, and France's CAC 40 declined 1.2% to 7,294.37.

North America

U.S. stocks ended mixed. The DJIA was unchanged at 42,342.24, the S&P 500 slipped 0.1% to 5,867.08, and the Nasdaq dropped 0.1% to 19,372.77.

Among S&P 500 companies, the top three gainers were Darden Restaurants Inc DRI surging 14.72%, Accenture PLC ACN jumped 7.03%, and GE Vernova Inc GEV lifted 4.94%.

The biggest decliners were Lamb Weston Holdings Inc LW which dropped 20.11%, Micron Technology Inc MU fell 16.34%, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc VRTX lost 11.37%.