Stocks in Asia advanced on low volumes along with U.S. equity futures and Treasury yields as investors awaited Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s address at the Jackson Hole summit. Gains were modest across the region, with trading activity below average in Japan and South Korea. Futures on the S&P 500 Index ticked higher after U.S. shares closed flat amid weak volumes. Three Federal Reserve policy makers voiced their resistance to the notion that the U.S. economy needs lower interest rates, and a fourth saying he wanted to avoid taking further action “unless we have to.” The greenback edged higher, while crude oil rose. China’s offshore yuan weakened to 7.1 per dollar. -  Bloomberg 

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