Asian markets ended mostly higher on Wednesday as regional markets continued to watch the potential impact of US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff escalation. But investors were cautiously awaiting key US consumer inflation reading after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated that the central bank is in no rush to cut interest rates. Chinese shares gained after Chinese automaker BYD said it would integrate self-driving features across 21 vehicles using DeepSeek AI in some. Hong Kong shares surged after reports that Apple is partnering with Alibaba to introduce artificial intelligence features for iPhone users in China. Japanese shares rose as the yen remained on track for its longest losing streak in more than a month amid heightened concerns Japan may be included in the US President's tariff plan.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,346.39 | 28.33 | 0.85 |
| Hang Seng | 21,857.92 | 563.06 | 2.58 |
| Jakarta Composite | 6,645.78 | 113.79 | 1.71 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,603.05 | 13.10 | 0.82 |
| Nikkei 225 | 38,963.70 | 162.53 | 0.42 |
| Straits Times | 3,874.62 | 13.86 | 0.36 |
| KOSPI Composite | 2,548.39 | 9.34 | 0.37 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 23,289.75 | -94.30 | -0.40 |
