Modest gains for Japanese stocks, with the rest of the region seeing a similar mood. The Hang Seng is up 0.3% while the Shanghai Composite is up 0.8%.

Elsewhere, US futures are up by ~0.3% as we look towards European trading with Nasdaq futures near record highs. US stimulus talks are dragging on but the market is keeping hope of a more optimistic outcome for the time being.

In the currencies space, the dollar is the weakest performer following the Fed decision yesterday – which mainly reaffirmed the status quo in the market.