Asia markets are up today

Asian markets move mostly higher, with Mizuho Financial and other financials leading gains after U.S. stocks advanced Friday.

Asian shares were higher Monday after a rise on Wall Street, with bank stocks leading in Tokyo on merger and acquisition hopes, but the outbreak of a deadly new strain of swine flu in Mexico and the U.S. injected some caution into trade. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was up 1.2% with Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 up 1.6%, South Korea’s Kospi Composite up 0.7% and New Zealand’s NZX-50 up 0.2%, though U.S. stock futures were about 1.3%-1.6% lower in screen trade. Risk aversion was felt more strongly in currency markets, where the Japanese yen and Swiss franc - viewed as safe-haven currencies - were on the rise, while higher-yielding, but riskier currencies like the Australian and New Zealand dollars fell.