Hong Kong stocks led gains in Asia-Pacific markets Tuesday ahead of the final U.S. Federal Reserve meeting of the year.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index gained 51.9 points, or 0.2%, to 32,843.70.
Producer prices in Japan have risen at a faster-than-expected pace, notching a 0.3% gain year-on-year compared with the 0.1% rise estimated by economists polled by Reuters.
The Japanese yen showed some strength against the dollar, trading about 0.1% higher at 146.04 as investors will be keenly watching the impact of the Fed’s decision on the dollar/yen pair.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng recovered 173.01 points, or 1.1%, to 16,374.50.
The Fed’s two-day meeting kicks off Tuesday, and the U.S. central bank is expected to maintain the Federal Funds rate steady in the 5.25%-5.5% range.
In other markets
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 added 7.35 points, or 0.2%, to 3,426.80.
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index moved higher 12.11 points or 0.4%, to 3,102.31.
In Taiwan, the Taiex jumped 32.29 points, or 0.2%, to 17,450.63.
In Korea, the Kospi index picked up 9.91 points, or 0.4%, to 2,535.27.
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 dropped 66.89 points, or 0.6%, to 11,382.58.
In Australia, the ASX 200 leaped 36.25 points, or 0.5%, to 7,235.29
