Bull statues are placed in font of screens showing the Hang Seng stock index and stock prices outside Exchange Square, in Hong KongSINGAPORE - Asia's stockmarkets rose on Wednesday and the dollar beat a retreat as a dovish shift in tone from Federal Reserve officials had traders paring U.S. interest rate expectations, though with a wary eye on U.S. inflation data due on Thursday.
Wagers on whether the Fed might hike again this year have pulled back a bit this week and Treasury yields have come sharply down from 16-year highs, yanking the dollar with them. Brent crude futures steadied at $87.80 a barrel on Wednesday, after hitting $89 on Monday. European gas prices, which had jumped on news of the Middle East violence, surged further on Tuesday on concern a gas pipe in Finland was sabotaged.
Samsung shares jumped on a smaller-than-expected dive in third-quarter profit and on hopes the memory chip market is finally turning.