· European stocks opened higher Wednesday morning, with market participants assessing their options after British lawmakers voted against Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal by a crushing margin.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was up around 0.5 percent shortly after the opening bell, with most sectors and major bourses in positive territory.
Market focus is largely attuned to political uncertainty in the U.K., with investors turning their attention to a confidence vote on May's government on Wednesday evening.
· Japanese shares retreated from a four-week high on Wednesday as investors took profits on firms exposed to China’s economy a day after they enjoyed a boost from Chinese stimulus hopes.
Despite small gains on Wall Street the previous day, the Nikkei share average dropped 0.6 percent to 20,442.75, after briefly touching a four-week high of 20,580.25.
Market analysts said that although overly pessimistic views for the global economy have receded somewhat compared to last month, there are still underlying concerns.
· Shares in China ended flat on Wednesday as the central bank’s biggest-ever daily injection of cash through open-market operations underscored Beijing’s commitment to step up stimulus, amid signs of a slowdown and worries over global trade.
At the close, the Shanghai Composite index was flat at 2,570.42.
· Hong Kong and China stocks edged lower in Wednesday trading, as a slide in smartphone maker Xiaomi and component suppliers knocked the wind out of a strong rally on Tuesday driven by China’s signals for fresh stimulus.
The Hang Seng Index dipped 0.3 per cent, or 66.71 points, to 26,763.58 by the midday break. The Shanghai Composite Index was down 0.1 per cent, or 1.47 points, at 2,568.88. On Tuesday, the benchmarks jumped 2 per cent and 1.4 per cent, respectively.
Chinese smartphone and home appliances maker Xiaomi led the decline, falling 2.4 per cent to HK$9.72, on the back of a Bloomberg report that an investor sold 231 million class B shares at HK$9.45 per share.
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