Asian shares rose on Wednesday after revived hopes for more aid for the U.S. economy broke a four-day losing streak on Wall Street.
Asian shares
- Japan’s Nikkei 225 index gained 0.3% to 26,767.74 despite the release of data showing exports fell 4% in November, while imports dropped 11% from a year earlier.
- Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 0.7% to 26,386.32.
- The Kospi in South Korea rose 0.4% to 2,768.98.
- Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 1.2% to 6,710.70.
- The Shanghai Composite index edged 0.1% higher.
Oil Prices
- Benchmark U.S. crude oil shed 3 cents to 47.59 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It rose 63 cents on Tuesday to $47.62.
- Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 5 cents, to $50.71 per barrel.
Currencies
- The U.S. dollar slipped to 103.62 Japanese yen from 103.68 yen late Tuesday.
- The euro was unchanged at $1.2155.
