Closing Bell 3rd May: Promedicus rises to new highs. Block up on earnings. Macquarie drops on results

Asian stocks gained on Friday, following Wall Street’s climb to all-time highs. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose by 1.7% to 39,850.00, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index added 2%. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company shares increased by 1.8%, and Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) jumped 2.6% after Apple reported higher-than-expected earnings. Apple also announced a record stock buyback program of $110 billion. South Korea’s Kospi rose by 0.39%, and the Taiwan Weighted Index increased by 1.41%. Meanwhile, stock markets in Japan and mainland China were closed for public holidays. Economists expect 240,000 job gains in the U.S. April nonfarm payrolls report, following March’s 303,000 additions. Investors are closely watching the data after the U.S. Federal Reserve held interest rates steady during its recent meeting. On Thursday, U.S. stocks closed higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average adding 322.37 points (0.85%), the S&P 500 gaining 0.91%, and the Nasdaq Composite jumping 1.51%.