Investing.com - Asian shares were mixed on Wednesday with comments overnight from Fed chief Janet Yellen appearing to signal continued neutral policy.
The Nikkei 225 eased 0.36% after downbeat industrial production data, while the S&P/ASX edged up 0.11% and the Shanghai Composite dropped 1.28%. The People's Bank of China set the yuan central parity rate against the dollar at 6.4841 Wednesday compared with Tuesday's 6.5060.
In Japan, provisional industrial production figures for February fell 6.2%, more than the expected drop of 6.0% month-on-month.
Overnight, U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Tuesday, as gains in the Technology, Utilities and Telecoms sectors led shares higher.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.56% to hit a new 3-months high, while the S&P 500 index climbed 0.88%, and the NASDAQ Composite index added 1.67%.
The release of upbeat U.S. consumer confidence data failed to excite as investors saw Yellen's remarks in a speech as dovish in tone.
In her first comments since the Fed decided to hold rates steady two weeks ago, Yellen said inflation has not yet proven durable against the backdrop of looming global risks.
"Given the risks to the outlook, I consider it appropriate for the Committee to proceed cautiously in adjusting policy," she said of the Fed's policy-making Federal Open Market Committee.
The Conference Board said its index of consumer confidence rose to 96.2 this month from a reading of 94.0 in February, whose figure was revised from a previously reported 92.2. Analysts expected the index to increase to 94.0 in March.