Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney advanced even as Russian forces whose attack on Ukraine has roiled financial markets bombarded the country's second-largest city, Kharkiv, and besieged two ports.
Share prices have swung widely as investors try to figure out how the Russian attack will affect supplies of oil, wheat and other commodities and the global recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The S&P 500 rose to 4,386.54. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.8% to 33,891.35. The Nasdaq composite advanced 1.6% to 13,752.02.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury bond, or the difference between its market price and the payout at maturity, rose to 1.89% from Tuesday's 1.72%. However, yields still were below where they were before Russia's invasion. Leaders of OPEC and other major oil exporters decided Wednesday to stick to plans to gradually increase production. The coalition, made up of OPEC members led by Saudi Arabia and non-cartel members led by Russia, chose to increase production by 400,000 barrels per day in April.