Stocks in Asia mixed as investors await Fed interest rate decision

Stocks in Asia Pacific were mixed in Wednesday afternoon trade as investors await the U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision, set to be released later stateside.

Stocks in Asia

• The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slid 0.1% at 1:40 p.m. in Tokyo.
• Japan’s Topix index fell 0.6%.
• South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.4%.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was flat.
• The Shanghai Composite gained 0.4%.
• The S&P 500 Index rose 0.3% Tuesday. Futures fell 0.1%.
• Euro Stoxx 50 futures dipped 0.1%.

Currencies

• The yen fell 0.1% to 108.20 per dollar.
• The offshore yuan held at 7.0849 per dollar.
• The euro was little changed at $1.1067.
• The British pound bought $1.2485, down 0.1%.

Bonds

• The yield on 10-year Treasuries remained at 1.80%.
• Australia’s 10-year yield held at 1.13%.

Commodities

• Gold was steady at $1,502 an ounce.
• West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 0.5% to $59.02 a barrel.