U.K. inflation advanced less than expected in February, providing something of a relief to Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she prepared to deliver her last Spring Statement to parliament.

Asian stocks followed Wall Street higher on Wednesday and the U.S. dollar meandered as markets awaited clarity on President Donald Trump’s trade policy ahead of a new round of tariffs next week.

Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday on supply concerns with the U.S. stepping up efforts to limit Venezuelan and Iranian oil exports, while a bigger-than-expected drop in U.S. crude inventories also lent support.

The dollar was little changed on Wednesday, with weak U.S. confidence data and concerns about the effect of sweeping tariffs on U.S. growth putting the brakes on a recent bounce.

Car production in Thailand dropped 13.62% in February from a year earlier, as a lengthy decline in domestic sales and exports squeezed output for a 19th straight month, the Federation of Thai Industries said on Tuesday.

Euro zone business growth remained weak in March despite expanding at its fastest pace in seven months supported by an easing in the long-running manufacturing downturn but held back by slower growth in services, a survey showed.