Global Shares Mostly Higher Ahead of Fed Chair’s Key Speech

A currency trader passes by the screens showing the foreign exchange rates at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov. 30, 2022. Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo

TOKYO—Global shares were mostly higher on Wednesday, ahead of a closely watched speech by the Federal Reserve chief that may give clues about future interest rate hikes.

Investors were also eyeing developments in China, where protests have erupted over the “zero-COVID” strategy that has confined millions of people to their homes, sometimes for months.