Asian markets are mostly higher Wednesday just hours before Joe Biden is inaugurated as the next president of the United States. Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX index and Shanghai’s Composite index both finished 0.4% higher.  South Korea’s KOSPI index rose 0.7%.  In late afternoon trading, the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong is up more than one percent, and Mumbai’s Sensex has gained 0.5%.  The Nikkei index in Japan slipped 0.3%, while Taiwan’s TSEC index dropped 0.4%. In commodities trading, gold is selling at $1,853.40, up 0.7%.  U.S. crude oil has also risen 0.7%, selling at $53.39 per barrel, and Brent crude oil is selling at $56.26, up 0.6%.   The heavy trading occurs after U.S. Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen urged support for the incoming administration’s $1.9 trillion pandemic economic rescue plan during her Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday.   All three major U.S. indices are trending higher in futures trading. 
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