• Asian stocks erased early losses and edged higher on Wednesday as strong China trade data bolstered bets of a recovering global economy, though gains were capped by caution ahead of a widely expected U.S. interest rate hike next week.
China's imports in February grew 44.7 percent from a year earlier on a yuan-denominated basis, accelerating from the previous month and leading to a rare trade deficit for the country. Exports rose 4.2 percent.
• That pushed the MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan up by a quarter of a percent, putting it on track for a third consecutive day of gains. Mainland and Hong Kong stocks led gainers.
• Japan's Nikkei share average eased slightly for the fourth consecutive session on Wednesday, as investors turned cautious ahead of a U.S. jobs report later in the week.
The Nikkei dropped 0.5 percent to 19,254.03.
• China stocks edged lower on Wednesday, as small-caps pulled back amid lingering concerns over tighter liquidity.
The CSI300 index fell 0.1 percent, to 3,449.45 points at the close, while the Shanghai Composite Index was barely changed at 3,241.18.
• Hong Kong shares extended gains for a third day on Wednesday, helped by strength in mainland property developers, as well as a jump in ZTE Corp after the Chinese telecom equipment maker agreed to plead guilty in a U.S. sanctions case.
The benchmark Hang Seng index added 0.4 percent, to 23,782.27, while the Hong Kong China Enterprises Index gained 0.5 percent, to 10,280.31.
ZTE shares jumped around 6 percent, after it agreed to pay nearly $900 million and plead guilty to criminal charges for violating U.S. laws that restrict the sale of American-made technology to Iran and North Korea.
Reference: Reuters,CNBC
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