Nikkei 225 closes higher by 0.28% at 19,674.77

Japanese stocks trade more tepidly upon returning from the holidays

Nikkei 07-05

The lack of significant direction in the Nikkei exemplifies the mixed market mood in the equities space since the start of the week. Asian stocks gained yesterday, only to give that back today with the Hang Seng down 0.7% and Shanghai Composite down 0.2% currently.

Despite the softer tones in Asia, US futures are keeping higher still to start the session with S&P 500 futures up by 0.6% to start the European morning. That said, early gains may not necessarily hold up if trading sentiment yesterday is anything to go by.
In the currencies space, the aussie and kiwi are mildly boosted while the dollar is trading more mixed across the board to start the session. The yen has given up some early gains though, with USD/JPY rising back to 106.30 after having hit a low of 105.99 earlier in the day.