Australia

Australian shares are set to open higher, despite US indexes falling.

ASX futures were up 0.7% or 50 points as of 8:30am on Friday, suggesting a higher open.

Salesforce dragged U.S. stocks lower amid a batch of disappointing results in the technology sector and as the U.S. economy shows tentative signs of cooling.

Nasdaq fell 1% to 16,737, DJIA lost 0.9% to 38,111 and the S&P 500 fell 0.6% to 5,235.

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was down 2.1% to US$81.86 a barrel, while gold was flat at US$2,343.19.

In local bond markets, the yield on Australian 2 Year government bonds was up at 4.14% while the 10 Year yield was also up at 4.43%. US Treasury notes were down, with the 2 Year yield at 4.92% and the 10 Year yield at 4.55%.

The Australian dollar was 66.31 US cents, up from its previous close of 66.30. The Wall Street Journal Dollar Index, which tracks the US dollar against 16 other currencies, was down at 99.45.

Asia

Chinese shares ended mixed with property stocks declining and the semiconductor sector leading the gains. Investors' sentiment on the property sector has cooled with focus now on how much of the recent stimulus measures translates into higher home sales. China Vanke fell 4.0% and Gemdale was 5.0% lower. Meanwhile, semiconductor stocks gained after state media Xinhua reported a research team from Tsinghua University has developed the world's first brain-inspired complementary vision chip. TongFu Microelectronics and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. rose 1.6% and 5.7%, respectively. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index closed 0.6% lower, the Shenzhen Composite Index fell 0.5% and the ChiNext Price Index gained 0.1%.

Hong Kong shares ended lower, pulling back after a recent rally. The market is waiting for new catalysts, such as policy headwinds and improvement in China's macro and micro fundamentals, to resume the bull run, CCB International analysts say in a note. Most sectors ended in the red, with energy and real estate leading the losses. PetroChina dropped 1.85% and Cnooc was 2.4% lower. Real-estate stocks fell as investors digested China's recent stimulus measures. China Resources Land was down 3.2% and Longfor Group shed 3.6%. Semiconductor stocks lifted the market, with SMIC gaining 4.9%. The benchmark Hang Seng Index ended 1.3% lower at 18230.19; the Hang Seng Tech Index shed 0.3%.

Japanese stocks ended lower, dragged by declines in electronics stocks, as concerns persisted about the Fed's higher-for-longer interest-rate policy. Advantest shed 6.1% and Mitsubishi Electric lost 3.3%. The Nikkei Stock Average fell 1.3% to 38054.13. Investors focused on U.S. economic data and their implications for monetary policy. The 10-year Japanese government bond yield fell 2 basis points to 1.055%.

India's Sensex closed 0.8% lower at 73885.60, tracking Wall Street losses. There has been a broad selloff in equities in Asia following hawkish Fed comments, signaling higher chances of delayed rate cuts, UOB's Global Economics and Markets Research team writes in a note. Among decliners, Tata Steel shed 5.7%, Titan lost 3.2% and Tech Mahindra was 3.15% lower. Among advancers, ICICI Bank rose 1.1%, Axis Bank gained 1.0% and HDFC Bank was 0.45% higher.

Europe

Stocks in the U.K. rose Thursday, as the FTSE 100 Index added 0.6% to 8235.15.

Among large companies, Auto Trader Group PLC was the biggest gainer during the session, surging 13%, and Trainline PLC surged 7.5%. Currys PLC rounded out the top three movers on Thursday, as shares surged 7.2%.

Old Mutual Ltd. posted the largest decline, falling 4.9%, followed by shares of Sage Group PLC, which fell 3.6%. Shares of Antofagasta PLC fell 2.9%.

In Europe, shares closed higher, with the STOXX Europe 600 Index adding 0.6% to 516.50, Germany's DAX rose 0.1% to 18,496.79 and France's CAC 40 gained 0.6% to 7,978.51.

North America

Salesforce dragged U.S. stocks lower amid a batch of disappointing results in the technology sector and as the U.S. economy shows tentative signs of cooling.

Nasdaq fell 1% to 16,737, DJIA lost 0.9% to 38,111 and the S&P 500 fell 0.6% to 5,235.

Business-software provider Salesforce fell 20% after it cut its revenue outlook.

Not all news is bad, however. HP rises 17% on signs of renewed demand for computers and Best Buy gains 13% as earnings come in above expectations. Treasury yields fall and are poised for a monthly loss.