TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares held steady on Wednesday as investors tried to come to terms with a sharp shift in U.S. bond markets and the implications for the world’s top economy.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Oil prices crept up on Wednesday, extending the previous session’s rise, but gains were kept in check amid growing fears over the impact of a global economic slowdown on demand.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Profits at China’s industrial firms suffered their worst contraction since late 2011 in the first two months of this year, data showed on Wednesday, as increasing strains on the economy in the face of slowing demand at home and abroad took a toll on businesses.

TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar held modest gains on Wednesday as a recovery in investor risk appetite arrested a decline in benchmark U.S. Treasury yields, which fell to 15-month lows this week.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares slipped on Wednesday, giving up their small gains made the previous day, as investors tried to come to terms with a sharp shift in U.S. bond markets and the implications for the world’s top economy.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Oil prices edged lower on Wednesday after an industry report showed an unexpected rise in U.S. crude inventories, but losses were capped by ongoing supply curbs and issues affecting output from countries including Venezuela.