Asian shares climbed to record highs while oil prices stayed elevated Wednesday, as markets looked for signals that a shaky US-Iran ceasefire would hold.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 1.9% to an all-time high. Japan's Nikkei briefly traded above 66,000 for the first time, and South Korea's KOSPI surged 4.3%, extending gains after Samsung Electronics workers voted to approve a wage deal, averting a strike that threatened global chip supplies.
The dollar held gains after Iran accused the US of violating the ceasefire. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal with Tehran could "take a few days", while Iran seeks the release of $24 billion in frozen funds.
US crude fell to $92.73 a barrel, Brent slipped to $98.70, after a nearly 4% surge the previous session.
Central bank comments were in focus. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand held rates at 2.25% but signaled the need for earlier hikes. Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda warned that temporary energy shocks could become persistent. ECB board member Isabel Schnabel advocated for a June rate hike even if a US-Iran peace deal is reached.
Spot gold eased to $4,502.72 an ounce. Bitcoin fell to $75,711.92, ether declined to $2,070.46.