BANGKOK – Asian shares were mostly higher on Wednesday as investors bet on eventual approval of a relatively big version of President Joe Biden's pandemic relief bill.
The advance followed a broad rally on Wall Street, with solid contributions from Big Tech companies, banks and other sectors.
Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 0.8% to 28,589.22 and the Kospi in South Korea climbed 0.6% to 3,116.38. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 surged 1.2% to 6,844.90.
The Hang Seng in Hong Kong declined 0.4% to 29, 052.90 while the Shanghai Composite index bounced back from earlier losses, gaining 0.1% to 3,536.89.