The pound steadied after surging in the wake of the UK parliament’s vote that opened the door to delaying Brexit.

Futures on equities in Japan and Hong Kong pointed higher, with Australian shares flat at the open.

The S&P 500 Index climbed for a third day, wiping out last week’s losses and reaching a four-month high as it held above the key 2,800 level.

Treasury yields edged up as US orders for business equipment increased in January by the most in six months and a producer price index signalled modest pressure on inflation.

The US data signalled a positive start to the year for the world’s biggest economy and little pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.

Next up comes a slew of China data including retail sales and industrial production that could provide clues on how the economy’s reacting to stimulus.

The ongoing Brexit drama, a cut to the UK’s growth forecast and a warning from America’s top trade negotiator that tariffs may not be rolled back are adding to an uncertain picture for global growth.

The Bank of Japan starts its two-day policy decision Thursday.

“We are not really seeing things that would indicate a terrible market out there,” Tobias Levkovich, chief US equity strategist at Citigroup, told Bloomberg TV. “Sentiment is much more neutral and people have missed this rally to some degree, and that suggests the pain trade is probably a little bit higher.”

Sterling edged back after earlier touching the highest since June. UK lawmakers rejected the idea of tearing the country out of the European Union with no agreement and UK Prime Minister Theresa May was said to plan to ask for an extension to the March 29 Brexit deadline lasting about two months.

Elsewhere, oil pushed above US$58 a barrel in New York, boosted by a decline in US crude and fuel stockpiles, adding to evidence of a tightening market. Emerging-market stocks declined for the first time in three days.