World shares, US futures gain as most Asian markets stay closed for Lunar New Year holidays

Global markets showed positive performance with world shares and U.S. futures rising during the Lunar New Year holidays, while Japan's benchmark index gained more than 1% despite most Asian markets remaining closed for the holiday period. The positive momentum in global markets comes amid relatively calm geopolitical conditions and continued investor optimism about economic recovery. In the United States, stock index futures indicated a higher opening for Wall Street, suggesting that the positive sentiment was extending beyond Asian markets and reflecting growing confidence among investors as they navigate through various economic indicators and corporate earnings reports. Japan's Nikkei 225 index emerged as a standout performer in the region, climbing more than 1% to reach a multi-week high, with gains attributed to positive corporate earnings reports from major Japanese conglomerates and a weakening yen that boosted export-oriented companies.