US futures, world markets rise as investors eye US election

By ALEX VEIGA and ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer

U.S. futures are higher and most Asian markets also posted gains as investors worldwide awaited results from the U.S. presidential election.

At midnight Eastern time, President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden were locked in tight races in battleground states.

Most polls have predicted a Biden victory. Dow futures were up 0.8% and the S&P 500 futures rose 1.6%. The gain in the futures follow a strong performance in regular trading on Wall Street.

In Asia, markets in Japan, China and South Korea rose while the Shanghai composite index and the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong were flat following the postponement of Ant Group's trading debut, which had been planned for Thursday.