On Wednesday Asian shares took a breather after rallying the previous day on Chinese stimulus hopes, with investors assessing Brexit options after British lawmakers trounced Prime Minister Theresa May's deal to pull out Britain from the European Union.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was off a touch, having swung up on Tuesday after Chinese officials came out in force to signal more measures to stabilize a slowing economy.
The China hopes also helped boost Wall Street overnight, though the early session in Asia saw investors tread cautiously.Australian shares tacked on 0.17% while Japan's Nikkei lost 0.74%.
May's crushing loss marks the collapse of her two-year strategy of forging an amicable divorce with close ties to the EU after the March 29 exit. Investors' focus is now on a confidence vote on May's government by lawmakers later on Wednesday. May's defeat also fueled volatility in UK-focused exchange-traded funds.
In Tuesday's session on Wall Street, the S&P 500 gained 1.1% as technology and internet stocks gained on Netflix Inc's plans to raise fees for U.S. subscribers. The S&P 500 communication services index , which includes Netflix and Alphabet Inc , jumped 1.7%, while the technology sector tacked on 1.5%.
U.S. Treasuries steadied after a choppy overnight session. The yield on benchmark 10-year notes last stood at 2.709, a tad lower from 2.718% at the U.S. close on Tuesday.
In commodities, oil prices rose about 3 percent overnight supported by China's promise of more stimulus. Worries over slowing China demand have been one of the key factors in the recent slide in oil. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were last trading 9 cents, or 0.19%, lower at $52.02 a barrel.
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