Asian markets edge higher after weak US retail data weigh on Wall Street

Shares were moderately higher in Asia on Wednesday after US stocks drifted to a mixed finish following a discouraging report on how much money US retailers made during the holidays.

US futures edged higher and prices of gold, silver and oil also advanced.

Markets were closed in Japan for a holiday.

Chinese markets crept higher, with the Hang Seng in Hong Kong up 0.3 per cent at 27,265.52. The Shanghai Composite index added 0.3 per cent to 4,139.56.

In South Korea, the Kospi extended its gains, risig to 5,346.34.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 1.5 per cent to 8,999.20, while Taiwan's Taiex jumped 1.7 per cent.

On Tuesday, stocks drifted on Wall Street following a mixed set of profit reports from big US companies. Hopes rose that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates later this year to boost the economy following a discouraging report on US shoppers' appetite for spending.

"Fresh data points to softening US consumer momentum since last December as wage growth cools and household credit stress builds," Mizuho Bank said in a commentary. It noted that demand weakened in eight of 13 categories, including clothing and furniture.

The S&P 500 fell 0.3 per cent to 6,941.81 after briefly rising above its all-time high set a couple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1 per cent, to its own record, closing at 50,188.14.

The Nasdaq composite fell 0.6 per cent to 23,102.47.

The action was stronger in the bond market, where Treasury yields fell after a report showed US retailers made less money at the end of last year than economists expected.

That could signal a loss of momentum for spending by US households, which is the main engine of the economy.

More reports are coming this week. On Wednesday, the US government will give the latest monthly update on the unemployment rate, while a report Friday will show how bad inflation is for US consumers.

Altogether, the data should help the Federal Reserve decide what to do with interest rates. The Fed has put its cuts to interest rates on hold, and too-hot inflation could keep it on pause for a long time. But a weakening of the job market, on the other hand, could push it to resume cuts more quickly.

Coca-Cola fell 1.5 per cent after its revenue for the latest quarter fell short of analysts' expectations. It also gave a forecast for an important underlying measure of growth this year that was less than some analysts expected.

S&P Global dropped 9.7 per cent after giving a forecast for profit in the upcoming year that fell short of analysts' expectations. The company famous for its stock indexes has been struggling recently with worries that competitors powered by artificial-intelligence technology may steal customers for its data services. Its stock came into the day with a loss of 15 per cent for the year so far.

Outside of earnings reports, Warner Bros. Discovery climbed 2.2 per cent after Paramount said it upped its offer to buy the entertainment company.

Paramount is increasing its offer of $30 per share by 25 cents per share for each quarter that its buyout has not closed past the end of this year. It's to show how confident Paramount is that its deal would get an OK from regulators at the government. Paramount also said it would pay $2.8 billion to help Warner Bros. Discovery get out of its buyout deal with Netflix.

Paramount Skydance's stock added 1.5 per cent, while Netflix rose 0.9 per cent.

In other dealings early Wednesday, US benchmark crude oil gained 53 cents to $64.49 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, was up 52 cents at $69.32 per barrel.

The dollar slipped to 153.66 Japanese yen from 154.40 yen, while the euro rose to $1.1908 from $1.1890.

The price of gold rose 0.8 per cent while that for silver was up 2 per cent.

Bitcoin lost 1.8 per cent to just above $68,200.