Asian shares trade mixed after Wall Street climb, as Brent oil keeps rising

Asian markets traded mixed on Wednesday after a Wall Street rally, as investors balanced gains with concerns over higher oil prices and inflation. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.2% to close at 66,115.60 after the government reported that imports and exports rose from a year earlier, helped by a weaker yen. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.3% to 8,823. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.7% to 6,797.70, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.1% to 24,866.67 and the Shanghai Composite edged down less than 0.1% to 3,861.82. Wall Street was led by technology and AI-related shares, with the S&P 500 up 0.9%, the Dow up 385 points (0.7%) and the Nasdaq up 1.3%. Chipmakers lifted gains, including Micron up 12.2% and Nvidia up 2%. Oil climbed following continued US-Iran-related attacks: US crude gained $1.67 to $86.01, and Brent rose $1.84 to $92.85 per barrel.