People pose for photos in front of Christmas lights in downtown Seoul on December 22, 2023.
Jung Yeon-je | AFP | Getty Images
Major U.S. benchmarks rose overnight, driven by gains in technology stocks, and Asia-Pacific markets were expected to open higher on Christmas Eve.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index futures opened stronger, with the Chicago futures contract at 39,305 points and the Osaka Nikkei 225 Index futures contract at 39,300 points, while the index’s previous closing price was 39,161.34 points. The Bank of Japan is scheduled to release the minutes of its October meeting.
Hong Kong Hang Seng Index futures were at 19,924 points, higher than the Hang Seng Index’s last closing point of 19,883.13 points.
Australian S&P/ASX 200 Index It traded slightly above flat in the shortened session.
Traders will be watching for any developments related to the planned merger of Japanese carmakers Nissan and Honda, which was announced on Monday They have started formal discussions Merger, paving the way for creation The world’s third-largest automaker by sales. Discussions will end in June 2025.
Overnight in the United States, stock market rises The strength of the technology name helps the broader market.
this S&P 500 Index up 0.73% to 5,974.07. High-tech Nasdaq Index Up 0.98% to 19,764.89 Tesla and meta platform Add more than 2% and NVIDIA An increase of more than 3%.
this Dow Jones Industrial Average It closed up 66.69 points, or 0.16%, at 42,906.95.
Trading was light on Monday and is expected to remain subdued this week. The New York Stock Exchange closed early at 1 pm (EST) on Christmas Eve and the market was closed on Christmas Day.
—CNBC’s Li Yun contributed to this report.
