Australia

Australian shares are set to open higher, after US stocks rose.

ASX futures were up 0.37% or 31 points as of 8:30am on Thursday, suggesting a higher open.

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was up 0.5% to US$75.19 a barrel, while gold was down 3.1% to US$2,659.72.

Asia

Chinese shares closed mixed. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.1% to 3,383.81, and the Shenzhen Composite Index rose 0.1% to 2,049.78.

Hong Kong shares ended lower. The benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 2.2% to 20,538.38.

Japanese shares closed higher. The Nikkei Stock Average gained 2.6% to 39,480.67.

India shares ended higher. The BSE SENSEX increased 1.1% to 80,378.13.

Europe

Stocks in the U.K. finished lower. The FTSE 100 Index fell 0.1% to 8,166.68.

In Europe, shares closed lower. Germany's DAX fell 1.1% to 19,039.31, and France's CAC 40 fell 0.5% to 7,369.61.

North America

U.S. stocks ended higher. The DJIA rose 3.6% to 43,729.93, the S&P 500 added 2.5% to 5,929.04, and the Nasdaq gained 3.0% to 18,983.47.

Among S&P 500 companies, the top three gainers were Discover Financial Services, surging 20.33%, Synchrony Financial jumped 18.85%, and Trimble Inc lifted 17.82%.

The biggest decliners were Super Micro Computer Inc which dropped 18.05%, Enphase Energy Inc fell 16.82%, and International Flavors & Fragrances Inc lost 11.63%.