America News Agency

Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose by 0.14%, while the Topix Index remained flat. Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Wednesday that the country will issue new government bonds worth approximately 29.6 trillion yen (about 190 billion dollars) to finance the 2026 fiscal year budget.

In the markets, the yield on 30-year Japanese government bonds rose by 2 basis points, reaching a record level of 3.454%. Yields on 20-year JGBs rose by just under 1 basis point to 2.992%.

After NHK reported that Japanese beverage maker Sapporo Holdings is preparing to sell its real estate unit to a consortium led by private equity firms KKR and PAG for a price above 400 billion yen (2.57 billion dollars), the company's shares rose by just under 1%.

South Korea's Kospi index gained 0.2%, while the small-cap Kosdaq index lost 0.2%. After it was reported that South Korea's national pension fund is undertaking strategic currency hedging activities, the South Korean won gained more than 1% against the dollar, rising to 1.462.3.

Shares of South Korean battery materials maker EnChem rose by more than 10% after local media reported that the company signed a supply deal worth about 1.5 trillion Korean won (around 1.03 billion dollars) with Chinese company Contemporary Amperex Technology Co.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose by 0.1%, while China's CSI 300 index remained flat. However, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index ended its four-day rising streak with a 0.33% drop. Hong Kong and Australia's markets are expected to close early.

The US dollar index has lost nearly 10% since the beginning of the year. US futures traded flat as Asian markets opened. In the US overnight, during the shortened holiday week, artificial intelligence companies continued to show strong performance, and stocks rose for the fourth session in a row. The S&P 500 closed up 0.46% at a record level of 6,909.79. The broad market index is currently just below the all-time intraday high of 6,920.34.

The Nasdaq Composite rose by 0.57%, closing at 23,561.84. The tech giants Nvidia and Broadcom saw their shares rise by 3% and 2%, respectively, lifting the index. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 79.73 points or 0.16%, closing at 48,442.41.