Investing.com - Asian stock markets were mostly higher on Wednesday, as an upbeat record close on Wall Street lifted sentiment.
During late Asian trade, China’s Shanghai Composite inched up 0.38%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng rallied 1.2%, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200closed 1.48% higher, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 ended up 0.29%.
Asia was given a positive lead from the U.S., where the Dow and S&P 500 closed at all-time highs, amid indications that the U.S. economy is improving.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei rallied to a five-month high as a slightly weaker yen boosted sentiment. The U.S. dollar strengthened to ¥101.64 against the yen, compared to Tuesday’s close of ¥101.54.
Elsewhere, in Australia, the ASX/200 Index bounced off the previous session’s two-month low despite data showing that the country’s May trade deficit widened to A$1.91 billion, compared to an expected deficit of A$160 million.
The Aussie fell from the previous session’s eight-month against the U.S. dollar, trading at 94.59 U.S. cents from 95.04 U.S. cents in the prior session.
Meanwhile, shares in Hong Kong rose more than 1% following Tuesday's public holiday.
Looking ahead, European stock market futures pointed to a modestly higher open, as investors looked ahead to the European Central Bank's policy meeting later this week.
The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 futures pointed to a gain of 0.1%, France’s CAC 40 indicated a rise of 0.25%, Germany's DAX pointed to a gain of 0.2%, while London’s FTSE 100 indicated an increase of 0.2%.
Across the Atlantic, U.S. equity markets also pointed to a firm open. The Dow pointed to a gain of 0.1%, the S&P 500 added 0.15%, while the Nasdaq 100 indicated a rise of 0.2%.
Investors were awaiting the U.S. nonfarm payrolls report, due to be released one day early on Thursday ahead of the Independence Day holiday, for further indications on the strength of the economic recovery.