Japan’s Nikkei 225 index reclaimed the psychologically-important 20,000 mark amid a mixed open in the region on Wednesday.
Wall Street set the mood overnight, with some U.S. stock indices failing to hold momentum from Monday on the back of lackluster earnings. The blue-chip Dow and the S&P 500 closed down 0.5 and 0.2 percent each, while the Nasdaq bumped up 0.4 percent with biotech shares leading advances.
Japanese markets firmed up to a fresh 15-year high of 20,011 points, marking its first successful attempt in crossing the 20,000 milestone since April 10. Data showing a faster rise in March exports, which climbed 8.5 percent from a year earlier after a 2.5 percent gain in February, likely buoyed sentiment.
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