Asia-Pacific markets opened higher on Christmas Eve after key U.S. benchmarks rose overnight thanks to gains in technology stocks.

Japan Nikkei 225 and Topix opened almost flat as investors awaited minutes from the Bank of Japan’s October meeting.

South Korea Kospi rose 0.31%, while the Kosdaq gained 0.72%.

South Korea’s consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level in more than two years. The country’s consumer sentiment index fell more than 12 points from November to 88.4 in December, falling below the 100-point mark that separates optimism from pessimism, a survey released by the Bank of Korea showed.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures were at 19,924, above the HSI’s previous close of 19,883.13.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 moved slightly around the zero line in a shortened trading day.

Dealers will be monitoring any developments surrounding the planned merger of Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda, which announced on Monday that they had begun formal merger negotiations to pave the way for the creation of the world’s third-largest automaker by sales. The talks are scheduled to conclude in June 2025.

Overnight, stocks in the US rose as strength in technology stocks benefited the broader market.

The S&P 500 gained 0.73% to 5,974.07. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.98% to 19,764.89, with Tesla and Meta Platforms gaining more than 2% and Nvidia gaining more than 3%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average erased earlier losses to end the day 66.69 points higher, or 0.16%, at 42,906.95.

Trading was weak on Monday and is expected to remain subdued throughout the week. The New York Stock Exchange closes early Tuesday on Christmas Eve at 1:00 p.m. ET and the market will be closed on Christmas Day.

—CNBC’s Yun Li contributed to this report.