Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Wednesday, as investors digested a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, as well as fresh comments from the U.S. Federal Reserve.
There was growing optimism that a truce between Israel and Iran brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump is likely to hold.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was flat.
South Korea's Kospi rose 0.31%, while the small-cap Kosdaq fell 0.21%.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose 0.11%, while the Topix fell 0.13%.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.66% and mainland China's CSI 300 was flat.
U.S. futures were nearly flat. Futures tied to the broad S&P 500 index fell 0.1%, as did futures on the Nasdaq 100. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 26 points, or 0.1%.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the Fed is committed to keeping inflation under control and will likely hold interest rates steady until there is more clarity on how tariffs could affect prices.
Powell said policymakers are "well-positioned to wait to learn more about the likely direction of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance."
Overnight domestically, the three major indexes closed higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 507.24 points, or 1.19%, to close at 43,089.02. The S&P 500 gained 1.11% to end at 6,092.18. The broad market index is now about 0.9% off its 52-week high. The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.43% to close at 19,912.53. The Nasdaq 100 gained 1.53% to close at a record 22,190.52. (alg)
Source: CNBC
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