Asian markets settled mixed on Wednesday with caution ahead of the US Federal Reserve's interest-rate decision later in the day. The Federal Open Market Committee is widely expected to hold interest rates unchanged at the conclusion of the meeting, but the accompanying policy statement and Fed Chair Jerome Powell's post-meeting press conference might offer clues on how soon the US Federal Reserve could begin easing interest rates. Chinese markets declined sharply after an official factory survey showed that China's manufacturing activity in January contracted for a fourth straight month. Meanwhile, Japanese shares gained as a summary of opinions from the BoJ's January policy meeting signalled the central bank's intensified focus on initiating its first interest rate hike.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 2,788.55 | -41.98 | -1.51 |
| Hang Seng | 15,485.07 | -218.38 | -1.41 |
| Jakarta Composite | 7,207.94 | 15.72 | 0.22 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,512.98 | 0.23 | 0.02 |
| Nikkei 225 | 36,286.71 | 220.85 | 0.61 |
| Straits Times | 3,153.01 | 2.97 | 0.09 |
| KOSPI Composite | 2,497.09 | -1.72 | -0.07 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 17,889.56 | -145.07 | -0.81 |
