Australia

Australian shares are set to open higher, after US markets calmed down as investors' focus turned back to the economy from the conflict in the Middle East.

ASX futures were higher 0.03% or 3 points as of 8:00am on Thursday, suggesting a higher open.

US stocks wavered as investors received a bit of good economic news this morning. ADP data showed the US private sector added 143,000 jobs in September, ending five straight months of slowdown and beating economists' forecasts.

The S&P 500, the Nasdaq Composite and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.1% or less.

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was up 0.5% to US$73.90 a barrel, while gold was flat at US$2,659.28.

The Australian dollar was at 68.83 US cents, up from its previous close of 68.82.

Asia

China markets were closed due to a public holiday.

Hong Kong shares ended higher. The benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 6.2% to 22,443.73.

Japanese shares closed lower. The Nikkei Stock Average fell 2.2% to 37,808.76.

India shares ended flat. The BSE SENSEX was unchanged at 84,266.29.

Europe

Stocks in the U.K. finished higher. The FTSE 100 Index added 0.2% to 8,290.86.

In Europe, shares closed mixed. Germany's DAX lost 0.3% to 19,164.75, and France's CAC 40 was unchanged at 7,577.59.

North America

U.S. stocks ended mixed. The DJIA rose 0.1% to 42,196.52, the S&P 500 was flat at 5,709.54, and the Nasdaq added 0.1% to 17,925.12.

Among S&P 500 companies, the top three gainers were Caesars Entertainment Inc, surging 5.29%, Super Micro Computer Inc jumped 3.55%, and Salesforce Inc lifted 3.18%.

The biggest decliners were Humana Inc which dropped 11.79%, Conagra Brands Inc fell 8.07%, and Nike Inc lost 6.77%.