Australia

Australian shares are positioned to rise this morning following a strong session for global markets on Friday.

ASX futures had leaped 40 points or 0.5% as of 6:00am on Saturday, suggesting a positive open.

US stocks ended April higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average booking its best monthly gain since January.

Despite renewed focus on stress in the US banking system, major stock indices were able to post gains on Friday to end the week and month on higher ground, in part as earnings reports from several big technology companies, including Meta, were received positively by investors.

The Dow rose 0.8%, the S&P 500 gained 0.8%, and the Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 0.7%. Volatility in the stock market has remained in check, even as First Republic Bank has been exploring talks with multiple partners about strategic options, including potentially asset sales, as its stock price has retreated by about 97% on the year through Friday.

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil added 1.5% to US$79.54 a barrel while gold inched 0.1% higher to US$1,988.99.

Australian government bonds ticked lower, with the 2 Year yield falling to 3.03% and the 10 Year yield dipping to 3.33%. US Treasury notes also declined, with the 2 Year yield inching down to 4.04% and the 10 Year yield tripping to 3.43%.

The Australian dollar fell to 66.16 US cents from its previous close of 66.29. The Wall Street Journal Dollar Index, which tracks the US dollar against 16 other currencies, ticked up to 96.09.

Asia

Chinese shares closed higher ahead of a five-day break on account of Labor Day. Investors expect the holiday travel and consumption in the world's second-largest economy to fuel demand and boost economic recovery. China's 'Big Three' airlines ended higher with Air China up 1.0%, China Eastern Airlines 1.4% higher and China Southern Airlines adding 2.0%. Software companies also gained for another session. Beijing Kingsoft rose 8.2% and Yonyou Network Technology added 2.2%. Shares of Luxshare Precision, an Apple contract manufacturer, gained 3.8% on strong Q1 earnings. The Shanghai Composite Index closed 1.1% higher at 3323.27, and was up 0.7% for the week. The Shenzhen Composite Index closed 1.4% higher and the ChiNext Price Index gained 0.8%.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed 0.3% higher at 19894.57. Investor sentiment was likely positive due to the overnight rally in US tech stocks, following the release of Meta's better-than-expected earnings, UOB analysts said in a note. Earnings could remain in focus in the near term as various Hong Kong-listed companies are set to release Q1 results. Gainers included Techtronic Industries, which was 3.8% higher, CNOOC, which rose 3.1% following Q1 results, and China Mengniu Dairy, which added 2.9%. Decliners included ENN Energy, which fell 2.8%.

Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rose 1.4% to close at 28856.44, extending an earlier advance after the Bank of Japan decided to maintain its ultra-easy monetary policy, quashing speculation that the central bank could shift away from this stance. Among the best performers were Makita, which surged 20%, and Kansai Electric Power, which climbed 9.6%. Both companies projected strong fiscal-year net profit growth. Kikkoman jumped 12% after its fiscal-year net profit rose by 12%.

India's benchmark Sensex index rose 0.8% to close at 61112.44, tracking Wall Street's gains overnight. There were positive global cues, said Deepak Jasani, head of retail research at HDFC Securities in an email, noting that strong corporate earnings boosted sentiment and that the Bank of Japan left rates ultra-low. The best performer on the Indian index was Wipro, which climbed 2.9% following its announcement of a share buyback plan and its Q4 results. Other top advancers were Nestle India, which rose 2.8%, and State Bank of India, which added 2.3%. Meanwhile, Axis Bank fell 2.4% and Titan Co. was down 0.7%.

Europe

European indices closed higher Friday, following gains in Asia, as corporate earnings boosted sentiment. The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 gained 0.5%, the German DAX advanced 0.8% and the French CAC 40 ticked 0.1% higher.

The United Kingdom’s FTSE 100 closed up 0.5%, with notable moves in the banking sector, CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said in a note. NatWest Group shares fell sharply despite reporting better-than-expected first-quarter results, probably due to a reluctance to raise guidance, he explained.

"European markets have ended another positive month very much on the back foot today, with sentiment by and large still upbeat after a week of company announcements that has seen markets struggle for direction. Despite this uncertainty, the company updates have been more positive than not, with the FTSE 100 and DAX clawing their way back into positive territory, as we head into the close," Hewson added.

Prudential ended the day as the biggest gainer on the British index, up 4.2%, while NatWest Group was the biggest faller, finishing down 3.8%.

North America

US stocks ended April higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average booking its best monthly gain since January.

Despite renewed focus on stress in the US banking system, major stock indices were able to post gains on Friday to end the week and month on higher ground, in part as earnings reports from several big technology companies, including Meta, were received positively by investors.

The Dow rose 0.8%, the S&P 500 gained 0.8%, and the Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 0.7%. Volatility in the stock market has remained in check, even as First Republic Bank has been exploring talks with multiple partners about strategic options, including potentially asset sales, as its stock price has retreated by about 97% on the year through Friday.

The Dow gained 0.9% for the week and 2.5% for the month, its highest percentage gain in a month since January, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% for the week and 1.5% in April, while the Nasdaq gained 1.3% for the week and ended the month nearly unchanged.