Japanese stocks are closing higher on the back of a rally in US equities overnight, and exporter firms are also helped by a weaker yen with USD/JPY rising to 106.00.

Elsewhere, the Hang Seng is up 2% while the Shanghai Composite is up 0.5% as we approach the closing stages of the session. US futures are keeping closer to flat levels, with S&P 500 futures seen up 0.1% currently.

That is keeping the risk mood in markets more in-check as we look towards European trading. EUR/USD is little changed at 1.1765 while USD/JPY is mildly higher at 106.10.