Asian markets are mostly higher Wednesday despite investors' concerns over the ongoing stalemate in Washington over a new round of emergency aid to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak.
Japan’s Nikkei index closed 0.2% lower. The S&P/ASX index in Sydney lost 0.5%. South Korea’s KOSPI index gained 1.2%, and Taiwan’s TSEC index rose 0.7%.
In late afternoon trading, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index and Mumbai’s Sensex are both 0.4% higher, while the Composite index in Shanghai is up one point, but virtually unchanged percentage-wise.
In commodities trading, gold is selling at a record-high $2,048 per ounce, up 1.3%. U.S. crude oil is selling at $41.85 per barrel, up 0.3%, while Brent crude is selling at $44.85 per barrel, up 0.4%.
All three major U.S. indices are trending higher in futures trading.