Japan stocks set for higher start as investors watch Apple supplier shares in Asia

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SINGAPORE — Shares in Japan looked set for a positive start on Tuesday following overnight gains on Wall Street that saw the S&P 500 notching its fourth day of gains.

Japan's Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 29,055 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 29,060. That compared against the Nikkei 225's last close at 29,025.46.

Shares in Australia were muted in morning trade, with the S&P/ASX 200 hovering above the flatline. The Reserve Bank of Australia is set to release minutes from its October monetary policy meeting minutes on Tuesday morning.

Investors will also monitor Apple supplier shares in Asia after the Cupertino-based tech giant announced new products on Monday.

Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 gained 0.34% to 4,486.46 while the Nasdaq Composite jumped 0.84% to 15,021.81. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged, dipping 36.15 points to 35,258.61.

Currencies

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 93.953 after a recent bounce from around 93.9.

The Japanese yen traded at 114.29 per dollar after weakening last week from below 113.4 against the greenback. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7409, above levels below $0.74 seen yesterday.