Nikkei soars while traders wait to see if US inflation slows

A screen displays the Nikkei 225 stock average figure at the Tokyo Stock Exchange. — Bloomberg

SINGAPORE: Japanese stocks hit a near 34-year high on Wednesday while other Asian equities meandered around one-month lows and bond markets traded cautiously ahead of U.S. inflation data due this week.

Japan's Nikkei - which had its best year for a decade in 2023 - climbed 2% to break above 34,000 for the first time since 1990.