Global markets were mixed Wednesday as investors waited for the U.S. Federal Reserve to announce its next steps in steering the nation’s economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In Asia, the Nikkei index in Tokyo finished 1.2% lower, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index gained 0.4% and the Shanghai Composite earned just over 2%.
The S&P/ASX index in Sydney lost 0.2%, Seoul’s KOSPI index closed 0.2% higher, the TSEC index in Taiwan dropped 0.3%, and Mumbai’s Sensex plunged 1.1%.
Over in Europe, London’s FTSE index was up 0.3% in midday trading, the CAC-40 in Paris was 0.6% higher, and the DAX index in Frankfurt was down 0.1%.
After nearing the $2,000 mark earlier in the week, gold was selling at $1,951.90 per ounce.
The U.S. central bank was expected to maintain its record-low near-zero percent interest rates after wrapping up its two-day policy meeting Wednesday.
Meanwhile, oil prices were on the upswing, with U.S. crude selling at $41.40 per barrel, up 0.8%, and Brent crude selling at $43.71 per barrel, up 1.1%.
And all three major U.S. indexes were trending positively ahead of Wednesday’s opening bell on Wall Street.