The pound edged down Wednesday after the record defeat of British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan but mostly held its ground as investors consider the next likely developments in the long-running saga.

Sterling steadied Tuesday as British Prime Minister Theresa May faced the prospect of a humiliating parliamentary defeat of her hard-fought Brexit deal, dealers said.

The pound trod higher against the European single currency but drooped versus the dollar, with investors on tenterhooks before the vital vote.

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Tuesday he was "very optimistic" about the outlook for the oil market after producers cut output to support flagging prices.

A Tokyo court on Tuesday rejected a request for bail for ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn, who faces three charges of financial misconduct and has been detained since November.

Germany will find out on Tuesday if Europe's top economy ended 2018 in a technical recession, with fears over slowing momentum fuelling calls for Berlin to use its fiscal leeway to bolster growth.

Federal statistics office Destatis will publish a preliminary estimate of Germany's fourth quarter and full-year gross domestic product figures for 2018, data closely watched across the eurozone for signs of a wider slump.

Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh on Monday called on all money transfer companies operating in Lebanon, such as Western Union and OMT, to exclusively use Lebanese currency when dispensing foreign cash transfers to recipients.

Central Bank sources told LBCI TV that the request is aimed at combating money laundering.

Eastern Mediterranean countries including Egypt and Israel agreed on Monday to boost energy ties through the creation of a body to strengthen the gas market.

Poland "must pay" for arresting an employee of Chinese telecom giant Huawei for alleged espionage, state-run tabloid Global Times said on Monday.

The EU's Economic Affairs commissioner said Monday that it will be "difficult" for the bloc to agree unanimously on an EU-wide tax on high-tech giants by a self-imposed March deadline.

China's trade surplus with the United States hit a record high last year but the country's imports and exports fell in December as the long-running trade war begins to bite in the world's number two economy, data showed Monday.