Investing.com - Asian shares were mixed on Wednesday with the stronger yen weighing on Tokyo and markets cautious on concerns the US may pursue more trade actions that would hit companies in Asia.
Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.56% as a stronger yen weighed and the US dollar index held below 90.
Japan reported trade figures for December with the trade balance at a surplus of ¥359 billion, narrower than the ¥530 billion surplus seen. Imports jumped 14.9%, above the 12.3% gain seen, while exports rose 9.3%, less than the 10.1% pace seen.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.33% with the country's "Big Four" banks mostly higher, with Westpac rising 0.62%.
In Greater China, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.14% and the Hang Seng index eased 0.28%.
The ECB is slated to meet on Thursday, when many expect the central bank to keep rates unchanged while ECB president Mario Draghi is likely to downplay any investor expectations that the central bank will soon announce plans to adopt a less dovish stance on monetary policy.
Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 4.27 points, or 0.02%, to 26,210.33, the S&P 500 gained 6.22 points, or 0.22%, to 2,839.19 and the Nasdaq Composite added 52.26 points, or 0.71%, to 7,460.29.