Fears over the Federal Reserve's hawkish shift have combined with geopolitical uncertainty to push the S&P 500 into a correction this year, yet historical data suggests tighter monetary policy has often been accompanied by solid gains in stocks.

India is boosting fertiliser imports from nations including Canada and Israel to ensure sufficient supplies for the coming summer sowing season after the disruption of shipments caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Japanese consumers' inflation expectations hit a record high in March, a government survey showed on Wednesday, as people's perceptions of future price moves were affected by surging energy and food costs blamed on the Ukraine crisis.

The dollar traded near a five-year high against the yen on Wednesday as investors awaited a Federal Reserve policy decision, with the Ukraine war and China's surging COVID-19 cases as the backdrop.

BEIJING (Reuters) -China's new home prices stalled in February after eking out a small gain a month earlier, official data on Wednesday showed, pointing to still fragile demand despite a gradual easing in property curbs by authorities to boost buying sentiment.

The economic cost of Russia's assault on Ukraine was fully exposed on Wednesday as Vladimir Putin's sanctions-ravaged government teetered on the brink of its first international debt default since the Bolshevik revolution.