U.S. stocks hit new record highs again, and optimistic sentiment about profits also supported Asian stock markets to remain at high levels, while crude oil prices continued to rise.

On Wednesday, the MSCI Asia-Pacific index remained relatively flat, less than 2% away from its historical peak; the indices of all countries around the world ( ACWI ) were only about 0.5% below their highs set in August. South Korea's Seoul Composite Index opened lower by 1.1%; Japan's TSE Index once rose by 0.4% to 4201.34 points, surpassing the closing record of 4197.20 points set on August 14th. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index opened lower by 0.45%, and the Hang Seng Tech Index opened lower by 0.33%.

Brent crude oil rose by more than 1% to $101.62 per barrel. Traders are weighing the impact of increased crude oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz against the escalation of geopolitical conflicts. U.S. Treasury bond prices gave back some of their gains from Tuesday, with the yield on 10-year Treasuries rising by 2 basis points to 5.30%.

Jeong In-yoon, the Global CEO of Fibonacci Asset Management, stated that the Korean market has been relatively cautious, partly due to investors' growing vigilance regarding the financing issues behind the AI craze. High long-term bond yields are putting pressure on the valuation of technology companies, and companies' increased debt issuance to expand their AI capital expenditures may further exacerbate this pressure.

The core market trends are as follows:

• The Nikkei 225 index opened lower by 0.14%.
• South Korea's Seoul Composite Index opened lower by 1.1%.
• The Tokyo Stock Exchange index in Japan once rose by 0.4% during the session, reaching 4,201.34 points, surpassing the closing record of 4,197.20 points set on August 14.
• The Nikkei 225 index has seen little change.
• The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong opened lower by 0.45%, and the Hang Seng Tech Index opened lower by 0.33%.
• Brent crude oil rose by more than 1% to $101.62 per barrel.
• 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rises 2 basis points to 5.30%.

Hong Kong stocks opened lower, with biopharmaceutical shares also declining at the start of trading.

The Hang Seng Index opened lower by 0.45%, and the Hang Seng Tech Index opened lower by 0.33%. Biopharmaceutical stocks declined at the opening, with WuXi AppTec falling more than 3%, and BeiGene and Innovent Biologics falling more than 2%.

Large tech stocks weakened, with Alibaba falling 1.39%, and Meituan and JD Group both losing nearly 1%.