Asian stocks stepped back after two sessions of sharp gains as investors turned.Not helping sentiment was wild volatility in the oil market, where prices rebounded in early Asia after sliding on Tuesday leaving traders dizzy.
Covid-19's toll in New York City is now more than 1,000 deaths higher than that of the deadliest terror attack on US soil, which killed 2,753 people in the city and 2,977 overall, when hijacked planes slammed into the twin towers, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field on September 11, 2001.
Spain's daily toll of corona-virus deaths rose for the first time in five days, but officials there and across the continent pushed forward with plans to begin lifting some lock-down measures soon.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has the illness, is in intensive care for a second night although his condition is stable.
After U.S. stock markets closed, President Donald Trump said the United States may be getting to the top of the corona-virus curve.
Ratings agency S&P Global on Wednesday warned the cost of combating the virus would weigh heavily on Australia's finances and changed the outlook for the country's rating to negative.
Some measures of liquidity in the $17 trillion U.S. Treasury market are almost back to normal, thanks to the Federal Reserve's giant purchases, after drying up two weeks ago at the height of the corona-virus panic, but trading conditions remain challenging.
The dollar found a footing as investors returned to safe-havens, unwinding some risk currency gains made on hopes the corona-virus crisis in Europe and New York was slowing.
Safe-haven gains were slight but gathered pace in morning trade as the two-day rally in Asia's equity markets lost steam and bonds and gold firmed.
Gold prices eased back to $1,644, after touching a 3-1/2-week high on Tuesday at $1,671.
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