Investing.com - Shares in Asia fell early on Wednesday with a widely expected hike in U.S. interest rates later in the day weighing on sentiment.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 fell 0.45%, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.46%, as its gold sub-index went down 1.64% on expectations of a Fed rate hike dimming demand for the precious metal.
Overnight, U.S. stocks closed lower on Tuesday, after oil prices slid for a seventh straight session and heaped pressure on energy stocks ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision on Wednesday.
In what was quiet day for top-tier economic data releases, upbeat U.S. economic data had a muted effect on equities.
The Labor Department said on Tuesday that its producer price index for final demand increased 0.3 percent last month after rising 0.6 percent in January. Economists had forecast a 0.1 percent rise.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 0.19% lower at 20,842. The S&P 500 shed 0.34% and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.32% to close at 5,856.