The U.K. will vote whether to stay in the EU on Thursday, and the latest polls are mixed
Most Asian markets finished higher, on the back of
Monday's massive gains. Stocks continued to react to the upcoming "Brexit" referendum, with recent polls mixed following
the murder of U.K. lawmaker Jo Cox last week. Additionally, optimism was on the rise ahead of U.S. Fed Chair Janet Yellen's two-day testimony in front of Congress, which kicks off later today.
Japan's Nikkei outpaced its regional peers, tacking on 1.3% as the yen weakened. Finance Minister Taro Aso weighed in on the currency, saying the government has "no intention to easily resort to foreign exchange intervention" --
a quick switch from last week's position. Elsewhere, Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.8%, and South Korea's Kospi edged 0.1% higher. China's Shanghai Composite, meanwhile, gave back 0.3%.
European benchmarks are in the green at midday, after notching their best session since August on Monday. While Thursday's "Brexit" vote remains front and center, speculators will also be eyeing an upcoming speech from European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi, after Germany's constitutional court ruled in favor of the ECB's Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT) program. At last check, the French CAC 40 is up 0.7%, the German DAX is 0.5% higher, and London's FTSE 100 has added 0.1% as the British pound climbs to its loftiest level since early January.
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