Australia

Australian shares are set to open higher, after US equities extended gains.

ASX futures were up 0.55% or 45 points as of 8:00am on Friday, suggesting a higher open.

US stocks extended gains after the producer-price index rose 0.2% in August from July, matching expectations.

DJIA rose 235 points, or 0.6%, to 41,097, the S&P 500 gained 0.8% to 5,595 and the Nasdaq climbed 1% to 17,569.

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was up 1.9% to US$71.97 a barrel, while gold was flat at US$2,558.39.

The Australian dollar was at 67.20 US cents, up from its previous close of 66.73.

Asia

Chinese shares closed lower. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.2% to 2,717.12, and the Shenzhen Composite Index slipped 0.5% to 1,492.33.

Hong Kong shares ended higher. The benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 0.8% to 17,240.39.

Japanese shares closed higher. The Nikkei Stock Average gained 3.4% to 36,833.27.

India shares ended higher. The BSE SENSEX added 1.8% to 82,962.71.

Europe

Stocks in the U.K. finished higher. The FTSE 100 Index added 0.6% to 8,240.97.

In Europe, shares closed higher. Germany's DAX rose 1.0% to 18,518.39, and France's CAC 40 gained 0.5% to 7,435.07.

North America

U.S. stocks ended higher. The DJIA increased 0.6% to 41,096.77, the S&P 500 gained 0.7% to 5,595.76, and the Nasdaq rose 1.0% to 17,569.68.

Among S&P 500 companies, the top three gainers were Warner Bros. Discovery Inc, surging 10.37%, The Kroger Co jumped 7.18%, and Axon Enterprise Inc lifted 6.30%.

The biggest decliners were Moderna Inc which dropped 12.36%, Enphase Energy Inc fell 4.30%, and Wells Fargo & Co lost 4.02%.