Australia

Australian shares are set to open higher, after US markets were closed for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday.

ASX futures were up 0.33% or 28 points as of 8:00am on day, suggesting a higher open.

US markets were closed for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday.

In commodity markets, Brent crude oil was down 1.15% to US$79.86 a barrel, while gold was up 0.18% to US$2,708.21.

The Australian dollar was at 62.69 US cents, up from its previous close of 61.91.

Asia

Chinese shares closed higher. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.1% to 3,244.38, and the Shenzhen Composite Index gained 1% to 1,934.79.

Hong Kong shares ended higher. The benchmark Hang Seng Index added 1.7% to 19,925.81.

Japanese shares closed higher. The Nikkei Stock Average lifted 1.2% to 38,902.5.

India shares ended higher. The BSE SENSEX gained 0.6% to 77,073.44.

Europe

Stocks in the U.K. finished higher. The FTSE 100 Index gained 0.2% to 8,520.54.

In Europe, shares closed higher. Germany's DAX rose 0.4% to 20,990.31, and France's CAC 40 increased 0.3% to 7,733.5.

North America

US markets were closed for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday.