Asian-Pacific markets traded higher on Wednesday following fresh all-time highs among major U.S. indices overnight, while China's efforts to stimulate its economy also boosted risk sentiment.
By 10:30 AM AEST (12:30 AM GMT), the ASX 200 gained 0.3%, the Kospi 200 rose 0.4%, and Japan's Nikkei 225 ticked up 0.1%.
Ahead in the session, market participants will be monitoring Australia’s inflation figures, with monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) data projected to show a 2.7% year-on-year increase.
In the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) increased 0.2% to close at 42,208.22, the S&P 500 rose 0.3% to 5,732.93, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.6% to 18,074.52.
Shares of Nvidia surged nearly 4% following news that CEO Jensen Huang has completed his planned stock sales for now, according to a regulatory filing.
On the downside, Global Payments Inc dropped 6.46%, Visa Inc fell 5.49%, and McKesson Corp lost 4.85%.
In commodity markets, Brent crude oil increased by 1.7% to US$75.15 per barrel, while gold rose 1.1% to US$2,657.10 per ounce.
Chinese markets closed higher, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gaining 4.2% to 2,863.13, and the Shenzhen Composite Index rising 4.0% to 1,555.98.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index also surged, climbing 4.1% to 19,000.56.
India's BSE SENSEX remained unchanged, closing at 84,914.04.
In Europe, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index rose 0.3% to 8,282.76. Germany’s DAX added 0.8% to close at 18,996.63, while France’s CAC 40 gained 1.3% to 7,604.01.
