U.S. stock index futures rose Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up a fraction, indicating a jump at the opening bell.  The S&P 500 rose half a percent and Nasdaq-100 futures were up slightly less than 2 percent.

European and Asian stock markets also jumped as U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans Thursday evening to gradually restart the economy.  The reports of a potential drug treatment for the COVID-19 disease from U.S. drug maker Gilead Sciences Inc. also contributed to the positive reaction of stock markets.

University of Chicago Medicine researchers said Thursday evening that they observed “rapid recoveries” in 125 COVID-19 patients taking Gilead Sciences Inc.’s experimental drug remdesivir as part of a clinical trial.

Asian markets seemed unmoved by news the Chinese economy shrank during the first quarter of 2020, the first time in decades that has happened.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 closed 1.41 percent higher.

Japan’s Nikkei index gained 3.15 percent and Taiwan’s TSEC 50 Index 2.14 percent.  The Hang Seng in Hong Kong and India’s Mumbai Sensex rose more than 1.5 percent each, while Shanghai Composite Index in China was up just under 1 percent.