Asia markets finished mostly higher on Wednesday, as the U.S. dollar index retreated from levels above 102 reached in the previous week, fueled by remarks from President-elect Donald Trump.
The Nikkei 225 Index ended its slump, gaining 80.84 points, or 0.4%, to 18,894.37, with export-oriented shares receiving a boost from a weaker yen.
The yen withdrew from the 112 handle reached in the previous session to trade up at 113.27 versus the dollar late afternoon local time.
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong piled on 257.29 points, or 1.1%, to 23,098.26
Major Japanese exporters finished mostly higher, with Toyota climbing 0.3%, Nissan up 1.3% and Honda adding 1.5%. Electronics maker Sharp declined 2.4% while Toshiba shares advanced 2.4%
The Nikkei business daily reported that Toshiba was considering spinning off its semiconductor business and selling a partial stake in the unit to Western Digital.
Samsung shares steadied ahead of a court decision on whether to approve the issuance of an arrest warrant for Jay Y. Lee, the scion of Samsung Group. The court's decision could come as late as midnight local time, according to Reuters.
Lee, who was questioned on Wednesday by a judge, has been accused by South Korean investors of paying bribes to Choi Soon-sil, a friend of President Park Geun-hye, and who has been at the center of a corruption and influence-peddling scandal.
Samsung Electronics shares finished down 0.1%, while Samsung C&T fell 1.6%. Samsung Engineering gained 1.9%.
In company news, Hong Kong-listed MGM China fell 1.9% after the company announced that the opening of MGM Cotai, Macau will be delayed from
Other gaming shares mostly rose, with Wynn Macau advancing 1.7% in afternoon trade, Sands China up by 1.5% and Galaxy Entertainment gaining 0.9%
Trump spoke to the Wall Street Journal and remarked the greenback was already "too strong," partly because China was keeping the yuan weak, and that stateside companies are unable to compete with their Chinese counterparts as a result.
A stronger dollar can boost earnings for exporters paid in greenbacks, but a weaker level also makes imports cheaper for commodities priced in the U.S. currency
In other markets
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 gained 13.01 points, or 0.4%, to 3,339.37
In Korea, the Kospi inched back 1.33 points, or 0.1%, to 2,070.54
The Straits Times Index in Singapore dropped 0.35 points to 3,012.77
In Taiwan, the Taiex Index lost 12.56 points, or 0.1%, to 9,341.97
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 hesitated 3.69 points, or 0.1%, to 7,059.27
Australia's ASX 200 fell 20.67 points, or 0.4%, at 5,678.75
