Higher Across The Board

Equity markets are higher in Asia as risk assets find favour in a quiet session after taking a positive lead from the US where bourses hit another set of record highs. Markets in China are in positive territory, data showed the trade balance widened more than expected as exports and imports both continue robust gains. Markets in Australia are higher, though moves are muted compared to peers; demand concerns around the Delta-variant of coronavirus abound, but the drop in case numbers in Sydney helped underpin prices. Gains were solid in tech shares, the Hang Seng seeing gains of around 2% while in Taiwan markets hit an intraday record high. In the US futures are mixed, tech shares continue to outperform and have moved higher while e-mini S&P and e-mini Dow Jones are slightly lower.