Asia markets higher as Wall Street gains ahead of key U.S. jobs report

Asia-Pacific markets rose on Friday, tracking Wall Street gains ahead of key U.S. employment data.

Shares of Apple suppliers will be in focus after the company reported higher-than-expected earnings.

Economists polled by Dow Jones expect to see 240,000 job gains in the U.S. April nonfarm payrolls report due Friday at 0830a.m. ET, compared with 303,000 additions in March.

Investors will be closely watching the data after the U.S. Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at the end of its two-day meeting on Wednesday.

Apple, whose second-quarter earnings beat market estimates, announced a record stock buyback program of $110 billion. Shares of the iPhone maker jumped 7% in extended trading, with investors now focusing on shares of Apple suppliers in Taiwan and South Korea.

South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.60%, while the smaller-cap Kosdaq added 0.77%.

Stock markets in Japan and mainland China were shut for public holidays.

The Japanese yen was still in focus as it strengthened to 152.93 against the U.S. dollar amid suspected government intervention to support the currency on Monday.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.3%.

Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index stood at 18,458, pointing to a higher open compared to the HSI’s close of 18,207.13.

Stocks in the U.S. closed higher on Thursday as investors looked ahead to more earnings as well as the nonfarm payrolls report set to be released on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 322.37 points, or 0.85%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.91%. The Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.51%.

— CNBC’s Samantha Subin and Alex Harring contributed to this report.