Asia Pacific markets traded within a tight range on Wednesday, as traders monitored escalating tensions between Israel and Iran weighing on investor sentiment.
By 11 am AEST (1 am GMT), Australia's S&P/ASX 200, Japan's Nikkei 225 and South Korea's Kospi 200 were each trading within a range of ±0.1%.
Among data released, Japan's exports declined 1.7% year-on-year in May, falling at the sharpest pace in 8 months as U.S. shipments plummeted 11.1%, while exports to China fell 8.8%.
The fall was softer than expected's 3.8% decline, but it was a reversal compared to the 2% gain recorded in April.
Meanwhile, imports to Japan fell 7.7%, compared to expectations of a 6.7% decline.
During Tuesday's U.S. session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.7%, the S&P 500 dipped 0.8%, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.9%.
In commodities, Brent crude surged 4.4%, once again nearing five-month highs of US$76.45 per barrel, while spot gold ticked up 0.1% to US$3,388.45 per ounce.
Chinese equities were lower, with the Shanghai Composite little changed at 3,387.4, while the CSI 300 eased 0.1% to 3,870.4.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dipped 0.4% to 23,980.3 while India's BSE Sensex dipped 0.3% to 81,583.3.
European markets also finished lower, with the FTSE 100 down 0.5% to 8,834.0, the DAX falling 1.1% to 23,434.7, and the CAC 40 declining 0.8% to 7,683.7.
