·         The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 133.37 points, or 0.52 percent, to 25,790.35, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 17.71 points, or 0.62 percent, to 2,874.69 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 67.52 points, or 0.86 percent, to 7,945.98.

For the week, the Dow added 0.47 percent, the S&P gained 0.87 percent, and the Nasdaq increased 1.66 percent.

The benchmark S&P 500 stock index clinched its longest bull-market run on Friday, closing above its previous January high, as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell affirmed the U.S. central bank’s current pace of rate hikes.

·         U.S. stock futures hit a record high early on Monday in Asia after U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said on Friday that a gradual approach to raising rates remains appropriate to protect the U.S. economy and job growth.

S&P 500 e-mini futures ESc1 rose as much as 0.15 percent to a record high of 2,881, and were last up 0.13 percent at 2880.5.

·         Asia markets were mixed in early hours trade on Monday after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at record highs on Friday following comments by the U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. This also follows an announcement by China's central bank regarding the yuan's daily midpoint the same day.

·         Japan's Nikkei 225 was in positive territory in early trade, up by 0.64 percent with most sectors seeing gains.

·         In Australia, the ASX 200 was down by 0.11 percent, with the heavily weighted financials sector down by 0.39 percent. South Korea's Kospi traded largely flat.

Reference: Reuters, CNBC