BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Employment Situation Report, Wholesale Trade report as well as Consumer Credit data are the highlights on Friday. Asian shares finished broadly higher, while European shares are trading positive. Early signs from the U.S. Futures Index point to a positive open. As of 7.50 am ET, the Dow futures were up 72 points, the S&P 500 futures were adding 8.50 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were progressing 26.00 points. The U.S. major averages closed firmly positive. The Dow advanced 181.09 points or 0.7 percent to 25,720.66, the Nasdaq rose 40.08 points or 0.5 percent to 7,615.55 and the S&P 500 climbed 17.34 points or 0.6 percent to 2,843.49.
On the economic front, the Labor Department's Employment Situation report for May will be issued at 8.30 am ET. The non-farm payrolls consensus is for 180 thousand, down from 263 thousand in the prior month. The Unemployment rate is expected to increase to 3.7 percent, versus 3.6 percent in the prior month. The average hourly earning is projected to be unchanged from April at 3.2 percent.
The Commerce Department's Wholesale Trade for April will be released at 10.00 am ET. The consensus is for an increase of 0.3 percent, while it declined 0.1 percent in the previous month.
Baker-Hughes Rig Count for the week will be revealed at 1.00 pm ET. In the prior week the North American Rig Count were 1069 and U.S. Rig Count were 984.
Fed's Consumer Credit for April will released at 3.00 pm ET. The consensus is for $13 billion, up from $10.3 billion in the prior month.
Asian stocks finished broadly up on Friday. China and Hong Kong markets were closed for Tuan Ng holiday.
Japanese shares ended solidly higher. The Nikkei average rose 110.67 points or 0.53 percent to 20,884.71 while the broader Topix index ended 0.49 percent higher at 1,532.39.
Australian markets extended gains for the fourth straight session. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 climbed 60.90 points or 0.95 percent to 6,443.90 while the broader All Ordinaries index ended up 58.80 points or 0.91 percent at 6,525.20.
European share are trading higher. CAC 40 of France is climbing 77.62 points or 1.47 percent, while DAX of Germany is up 82.80 points or 0.70 percent. FTSE 100 of England is adding 60.53 points or 0.83 percent. Swiss Market Index is progressing 51.57 points or 0.53 percent.
Euro Stoxx 50, the index that covers 50 stocks from 11 Eurozone countries such as Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain, is currently up 1.06 percent.
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