Australia

Australian shares are set to open higher, after US benchmarks rise.

ASX futures were up 0.34% or 29 points as of 8:30am on Friday, suggesting a higher open.

US stocks rise in a broad rally with every S&P 500 sector ending higher. The S&P 500 marks its first record high of 2025 with gains led by health care and industrial stocks. President Trump told business leaders in Davos to make their products in the U.S. or face tariffs. GE Aerospace gains 6.6% after the jet-engine maker received an influx of orders to end the year. Electronic Arts drops 17% after lowering its full year outlook. DJIA gains 408 points, or 0.9% to 44,565, the S&P 500 adds 0.5% to 6,118 and the Nasdaq rises 0.2% to 20,053.

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was down 1.51% to US$77.81 a barrel, while gold was down 0.12% to US$2,753.12.

The Australian dollar was at 62.83 US cents, up from its previous close of 62.73.

Asia

Chinese shares closed mixed. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.5% to 3,230.16, and the Shenzhen Composite Index slipped 0.4% to 1,913.26.

Hong Kong shares ended lower. The benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 0.4% to 19,700.56.

Japanese shares closed higher. The Nikkei Stock Average lifted 0.8% to 39,958.87.

India shares ended higher. The BSE SENSEX rose 0.2% to 76,520.38.

Europe

Stocks in the U.K. finished higher. The FTSE 100 Index rose 0.2% to 8,565.2.

In Europe, shares closed higher. Germany's DAX rose 0.7% to 21,411.53, and France's CAC 40 increased 0.7% to 7,892.61.

North America

U.S. stocks ended higher. The DJIA lifted 0.9% to 44,565.07, the S&P 500 increased 0.5% to 6,118.71, and the Nasdaq gained 0.2% to 20,053.68.

Among S&P 500 companies, the top three gainers were NVIDIA Corp NVDA surging 0.10%, Apple Inc AAPL jumped -0.08%, and Amazon.com Inc AMZN lifted 0.17%.

The biggest decliners were NVIDIA Corp NVDA which dropped 0.10%, Apple Inc AAPL fell 0.08%, and Amazon.com Inc AMZN lost 0.17%.