Australia

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Australian shares are set to open higher, after US indexes closed lower on consumer fears.

ASX futures were up 0.19% or 16 points as of 8:30am on Friday, suggesting a higher open.

Major US indexes fell Thursday, with investors unsettled by a note of caution in Walmart's forecast.

Results from America's biggest retailer met elevated expectations, with strong sales for the holiday quarter and a jump in its e-commerce business. But the shares tumbled after Walmart gave weaker-than-expected guidance for the year ahead, casting some doubt on the strength of the US consumer.

Consumer staples was the worst performing S&P 500 sector Thursday.

Another market darling also faced pressure, with reports of potential US defense-budget cuts weighing on Palantir. Shares in the data-analysis specialist sold off, extending Wednesday's losses.

Meanwhile, President Trump said late Wednesday that a China trade deal was possible. The news failed to boost Chinese stocks, or stir the yuan.

Stock indexes were lower. The Dow industrials led losses, dropping more than 1%. The S&P 500 retreated after ending Wednesday at its third record high of 2025.

Bank stocks sold off. Shares of Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase both fell more than 3%.

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was up 0.60% to US$76.50 a barrel, while gold was up 0.22% to US$2,939.83.

The Australian dollar was at 63.92 US cents, up from its previous close of 63.43.

Asia

Chinese shares closed mixed. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was unchanged at 3,350.78, and the Shenzhen Composite Index gained 0.5% to 2,056.72.

Hong Kong shares ended lower. The benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 1.6% to 22,576.98.

Japanese shares closed lower. The Nikkei Stock Average declined 1.2% to 38,678.04.

India shares ended lower. The BSE SENSEX declined 0.3% to 75,735.96.

Europe

Stocks in the U.K. finished lower. The FTSE 100 Index declined 0.6% to 8,662.97.

In Europe, shares closed mixed. Germany's DAX fell 0.5% to 22,314.65, and France's CAC 40 increased 0.1% to 8,122.58.

North America

U.S. stocks ended lower. The DJIA fell 1% to 44,176.65, the S&P 500 slipped 0.4% to 6,117.52, and the Nasdaq dropped 0.5% to 19,962.36.

Among S&P 500 companies, the top three gainers were Hasbro Inc HAS surging 12.95%, Baxter International Inc BAX jumped 8.50%, and LKQ Corp LKQ lifted 5.96%.

The biggest decliners were EPAM Systems Inc EPAM which dropped 12.80%, Axon Enterprise Inc AXON fell 8.70%, and Royal Caribbean Group RCL lost 7.62%.