Asian shares rose for a second session on Wednesday as a barrage of Chinese data confirmed the economy had stabilized on the back of government spending and a hot housing market, even if worries about debt continue to mount.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS added 0.4 percent, on top of Tuesday's 1.4 percent jump.
Japan's Nikkei share average rose for a fourth day on Wednesday, taking cues from a bounce in Wall Street shares, while Sharp Corp jumped 11 percent after saying it expects significant improvement in annual profit.
The Nikkei ended 0.2 percent higher at 16,998.91.
China stocks were little changed on Wednesday after data showed the Chinese economy is stabilising, as expected.
The blue-chip CSI300 index fell 0.2 percent, to 3,316.24, while the Shanghai Composite Index was flat at 3,084.72 points.
Hong Kong shares fell on Wednesday, giving up some of the previous session's solid gains, as China's economic growth data did little to prop up fragile investor sentiment.
The Hang Seng index fell 0.4 percent, to 23,304.97, while the China Enterprises Index lost 0.8 percent, to 9,641.22 points.
Earnings news could be the driver for stocks Wednesday with several dozen S&P 500 companies reporting and a potential end to the earnings recession in sight.
There are also a few economic reports, including housing starts and building permits at 8:30 a.m. and the Beige Book on the economy at 2p.m. EDT. There are several Fed speakers, and the third and final presidential debate is Wednesday evening.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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