Asian shares trade mixed while the dollar hits a 40-year high against the yen

Asian shares traded mixed on Wednesday as investors weighed uncertainty over the Middle East and whether access to the Strait of Hormuz would improve after an initial U.S.-Iran war-ending deal. U.S. stock futures slipped and oil prices edged higher. The U.S. dollar rose to 162.68 Japanese yen, a 40-year high, as traders stayed wary of potential intervention by Japan. The euro was $1.1406, down from $1.1426. Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.6% to 70,474.96, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.6% to 8,722.90 and South Korea’s Kospi dropped 2.0% to 8,303.41. In energy trading, U.S. crude added 13 cents to $69.63 a barrel and Brent rose 13 cents to $73.08. Two U.S. envoys arrived in Qatar for talks with mediators, without direct negotiations with Iranian diplomats in Doha, amid continued concerns about oil-market normalization.