The Canadian market is up in positive territory Friday afternoon, and looks set to end the day's session modestly higher thanks to sustained buying in materials, healthcare and consumer staples sectors.

The U.S. dollar moved up against its major counterparts in the New York session on Friday, as the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures price index, exceeded expectations on an annual basis in March.

The Switzerland market ended on a firm note on Friday, tracking positive global cues after U.S. technology majors Microsoft and Alphabet reported strong quarterly earnings.

European stocks closed on a firm note on Friday with investors cheering a slew of strong earnings updates from U.S. big names Alphabet and Microsoft, and a few European companies, and shrugging of interest rate concerns for now.

Revised data released by the University of Michigan on Friday showed consumer sentiment in the U.S. deteriorated by more than previously estimated in the month of April. The University of Michigan said its consumer sentiment index for April was downwardly revised to 77.2 from a preliminary reading of 77.9.

The price of a troy ounce of gold climbed to 2330.00 USD on Friday. This surge was driven by investors' ongoing evaluation of the potential direction of the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy following mixed macroeconomic data.

Yen falls to fresh multi-decade lows after BoJ rate decision - US GDP flashes mixed signals, dollar retreats in aftermath - Stocks recover on solid tech earnings, gold resumes uptrend

Expert market comment made by senior analyst Alex Kuptsikevich of the FxPro Analyst Team: Cooler Bitcoin

Currency and commodity pairs gained momentum. Pound-dollar, Bitcoin-dollar, and oil-dollar pairs rose, while the Aussie dollar pair corrected. Major financial news: potential SEC rejection of ether ETFs, Swiss National Bank's record profit, and rising oil prices amid Middle East tensions.

The U.S. PCE index, scheduled for release later today, may exceed expectations, dampening prospects for Fed interest rate cuts.