Asian shares were mostly higher on Wednesday after a mixed finish on Wall Street. Investors were turning their focus to policy meetings by central bank boards in Japan and the EU.
Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index edged 0.1 per cent higher to 20,021.49 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong climbed 0.5 per cent to 26,648.35. The S&P ASX 200 in Australia jumped 0.6 per cent to 5,720.90.
The Shanghai Composite index added 0.5 per cent to 3,204.33. South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.2 per cent to 2,422.07. Shares in Southeast Asia were mixed.
The S&P 500 rose 0.1 per cent to 2,460.61. The Dow Jones industrial average shed 0.3 per cent to 21,574.73, while the Nasdaq composite advanced 0.5 per cent to 6,344.31.
The dollar, which has steadily lost ground most of this year, was trading at 112.00 yen on Wednesday, down from 112.07 late Tuesday.
The euro rose to $1.1544 from $1.1543. It hasn't been this strong compared to the dollar since early 2015.
Benchmark US crude added lost 5 cents to $46.35 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained 38 cents to $46.40 a barrel on Tuesday.
Brent crude, the international standard, slipped 6 cents to $48.78 per barrel. It rose 42 cents to $48.84 a barrel in London, according to AP.
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