- Before a monthly US payrolls report that was anticipated to show companies slowing hiring month, Asian equities increased, potentially reducing pressure on the Federal Reserve to boost interest rates once more.
- Australian, Japanese, South Korean, and Hong Kong equity benchmarks have all increased. A regional share indicator was on track for its second daily increase, which would be the first in three weeks. The Hang Seng Index increased by as much as 2.3%, although losses are still expected to continue for a sixth week. For a weeklong holiday, Chinese marketplaces are still closed.
- Manish Bhargava, a fund manager for Straights Investment in Singapore, noted that "the US dollar has weakened against a basket of currencies, oil has pulled back sharply, and a number of Asian companies have reported positive earnings in recent days." "This may be improving the mood in the area."
- Following Thursday's 0.1% decline in the S&P 500 and 0.4% decline in the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100, while both were still well off their lows, US market futures were little changed.
