Asian markets settled mixed on Wednesday despite a strong rally on Wall Street overnight driven by improved prospects for a US-EU trade agreement, strong US consumer confidence data, and a global bond surge. Meanwhile, investors were awaiting US PCE inflation reading and the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve May meeting. Chinese shares declined after a large explosion at a chemical plant in eastern China. Hong Kong shares dipped even as Xiaomi reported better-than-expected revenue in the March quarter. The Nikkei 225 ended little changed and the yen wobbled in volatile trading as a weak government bond auction sparked a sell-off in the country's bond market. However, Seoul shares climbed as global trade tensions eased and a survey showed South Korea's business sentiment improved for the third straight month in May.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,339.93 | -0.76 | -0.02 |
| Hang Seng | 23,258.31 | -123.68 | -0.53 |
| Jakarta Composite | 7,175.82 | -23.15 | -0.32 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,523.48 | -2.68 | -0.18 |
| Nikkei 225 | 37,722.40 | 1.71 | 0.00 |
| Straits Times | 3,911.92 | 15.83 | 0.40 |
| KOSPI Composite | 2,670.15 | 32.93 | 1.23 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 21,357.72 | 21.18 | 0.10 |
