Reuters

By Ankur Banerjee

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian stocks rose on Wednesday while the dollar drifted lower as traders weighed mixed U.S. producer price data and braced for the crucial consumer price report later in the day that is likely to influence the Federal Reserve's near-term policy path.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.38%, scaling a fresh 15-month high earlier in the session. Japan's Nikkei gained... (continue reading...)

By Sam Nussey

TOKYO (Reuters) - Shares in Sony Group jumped 12% in early Tokyo trading on Wednesday after the company pledged to boost shareholder returns and forecast higher annual profit with a boost from its image sensors business.

The tech and entertainment conglomerate said it would spend up to 250 billion yen ($1.6 billion) on a share buyback and gradually increase dividends with a target of a 40% total payout ratio by the... (continue reading...)

SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China's central bank left a key policy rate unchanged when rolling over maturing medium-term lending facility (MLF) loans on Wednesday, in line with market expectations.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

The steady MLF rate shows the central bank's focus on keeping currency stability, analysts say, even as an unexpected credit contraction in April added to the case for more policy stimulus to prop up the world's... (continue reading...)

By Josh Ye

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Huawei is revamping its retail strategy and aggressively opening flagship stores in China, with some just a stone's throw away from Apple shops, as it seeks to retake the premium electronics throne in the world's biggest smartphone market.

Situated directly across from Apple's Shanghai flagship store, Huawei's recently renovated shop spans three floors of a famous heritage architecture building in the... (continue reading...)

By Kevin Buckland

TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar traded near a one-month low versus the euro on Wednesday amid lower Treasury yields as traders braced for a key U.S. inflation report later in the day that could dictate the path of Federal Reserve policy.

The yen languished near a two-week low, as a still-gaping yield gap between local bonds and U.S. peers continued to encourage selling of the Japanese currency.

The yuan slid... (continue reading...)