Investing.com - Asian stock markets were mixed in cautious trade on Wednesday, as investors looked ahead to the outcome of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting later in the day.
Market analysts expect the Fed to taper its bond buying program by another $10 billion from the current $45 billion, due to an improving economy. The announcement is to be followed by a press conference with Fed Chair Janet Yellen.
During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng inched up 0.45%, China’s Shanghai Composite declined 0.56%, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 closed 0.33% lower, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 ended up 0.93%.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei edged higher as a weaker yen lifted sentiment. The yen rose to ¥102.29 against the U.S. dollar, compared to ¥102.16 in late U.S. trade on Tuesday.
Trade data released earlier showed that Japanese exports fell 2.7% from a year earlier in May, while imports declined 3.6% on year.
Elsewhere, in Australia, the ASX/200 Index fell modestly in subdued trade, while the Australian dollar declined against the greenback.
The Aussie weakened to 93.26 U.S. cents, the lowest since June 6, from 93.35 U.S. cents in the prior session.
Meanwhile, shares in mainland China and Hong Kong were mixed in volatile trade amid ongoing concerns over the health of China’s economy.
Data released earlier in the session showed that new home prices rose 5.6% in May from a year earlier, slowing from April's 6.7% increase.
Looking ahead, European stock market futures pointed to a modestly higher open. The Euro Stoxx 50 futures pointed to a gain of 0.2%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.1%, London’s FTSE 100 indicated a gain of 0.2%, while Germany's DAX inched up 0.15%.
Across the Atlantic, U.S. equity markets pointed to a flat open. The Dow futures pointed to a loss of 0.03%, the S&P 500 indicated a flat open, while the Nasdaq 100 pointed to a loss of 0.05%.