Asian indices continued to move higher in....>

STOCKS: Asian indices continued to move higher in the first session of the week,

as China & Hong Kong remained closed for the LNY holiday.

- Higher oil prices, a modest dip in US yields and a stabilisation in the USDJPY

cross helped Japanese stocks to rally on Monday. Exporters benefitted from a

stronger export breakdown in the country's latest trade balance release, while

banks and electronics makers led the way as all of the sectors traded higher.

The Nikkei 225 last traded up 1.6%, just over 22,000.

- Australian stocks also moved higher, with the ASX up 0.7%, as the pop in oil

prices allowed the majority of the energy space to trade in positive territory,

although copper prices stalled capping gains in the materials sector. 

- US equity futures also moved higher, in a holiday thinned session, with the US

observing President's Day. S&P 500 futures eked out another 10 points, while the

Dow Mini was up just over 90 points in Asian trade.