SINGAPORE — Stocks in Japan looked set to trade higher at the Thursday open as investors in Asia-Pacific continue to wait for the result of the U.S. election.

Futures pointed to a higher open for Japanese stocks. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 23,980 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 23,940. That compared against the Nikkei 225’s last close at 23,695.23.

Meanwhile, shares in Australia edged higher in early trade, with the S&P/ASX 200 gaining about 0.6%.

Investor focus will likely remain on the U.S. election result, though a call in the presidential race is not expected anytime soon as several states could take until later this week to complete official tallies, according to officials.

On the economic data front, Australia’s trade figures for September are set to be out at around 8:30 a.m. HK/SIN.

Overnight on Wall Street, stocks stateside rose despite the uncertainty surrounding the U.S. presidential contest. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 367.63 points to close at 27,847.66. The S&P 500 ended its trading day 2.2% higher at 3,443.44 while the Nasdaq Composite surged 3.9% to close at 11,590.78.

The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was last at 93.478 after its earlier drop from levels above 93.6.

The Japanese yen traded at 104.46 per dollar after strengthening yesterday from levels above 104.8 against the greenback. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.718 following yesterday’s rise from levels below $0.712.

Here’s a look at what’s on tap:

• Australia: Trade data for September at 8:30 a.m. HK/SIN