VietJoy

Asian markets are mostly higher Wednesday despite investors' concerns over the ongoing stalemate in Washington over a new round of emergency aid to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Japan’s Nikkei index closed 0.2% lower.  The S&P/ASX index in Sydney lost 0.5%.  South Korea’s KOSPI index gained 1.2%, and Taiwan’s TSEC index rose 0.7%.   

In late afternoon trading, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index and Mumbai’s Sensex are both  0.4% higher, while the Composite index in Shanghai is up one point, but virtually unchanged percentage-wise. 

In commodities trading, gold is selling at a record-high $2,048 per ounce, up 1.3%.  U.S. crude oil is selling at $41.85 per barrel, up 0.3%, while Brent crude is selling at $44.85 per barrel, up 0.4%.   

All three major U.S. indices are trending higher in futures trading.