Asian-pacific markets lifted on Friday, buoyed by a positive performance in U.S. stocks overnight following strong economic data and robust earnings from Micron Technology.
By 10:55 am AEST (12:55 am GMT) the ASX 200 added 0.2% and the Nikkei 225 added 0.5%, while the KOSPI 200 remained little changed.
In the U.S., major miners Freeport-McMoRan and industrial giants including 3M and Caterpillar fueled gains, lifting 7.5%, 2.1% and 3.4%, respectively.
In addition, Micron shares surged by 15% after the company reported that robust demand for artificial intelligence significantly boosted its earnings and outlook.
Conversely, the biggest decliners were Super Micro Computer Inc, down 12.2%, Diamondback Energy Inc, which fell 6.5%, and Targa Resources Corp, losing 5.9%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 0.6%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite also rose by 0.6%. The S&P 500 edged up by 0.4%, positioning itself for its best performance in the first three quarters of the year since 1997.
In commodity markets, Brent crude oil prices declined by 2.5% to $71.60 per barrel, while gold remained steady at $2,672.30.
In Asia, Chinese shares closed higher, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rising by 3.6% to 3,001, while the Shenzhen Composite Index increased by 4.0% to 1,638.4.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index also saw a positive outcome, climbing 4.2% to finish at 19,924.58. Japanese shares experienced gains as well, with the Nikkei Stock Average up by 2.8% to 38,925.6. Additionally, Indian markets were on the rise, with the BSE SENSEX increasing by 0.8% to 85,836.1.
European stocks finished positively, with the FTSE 100 Index in the UK gaining 0.2% to close at 8,284.9. In Germany, the DAX saw an increase of 1.7% to 19,238.4, while France's CAC 40 rose by 2.3% to 7,742.1.