Crowds walk through Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, Japan.
@ Didier Marti | Moment | Getty Images
Australian and Japanese markets fell Wednesday as investors brace for the U.S. Federal Reserve’s rate decision, due early Thursday in Asia.
Investors will also keep an eye on the yen, which saw a volatile start to the week amid suspected intervention on Monday. The currency currently trades around the 157.7 level against the greenback.
Most Asian markets are closed on Wednesday due to the Labor Day holiday.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 inched down 0.34%, reversing earlier losses and closing at 38,274.05, while the broad based Topix was 0.5% lower to end at 2,729.4.
The Australian S&P/ASX 200 lost 1.23%, finishing at 7,569.9.
Overnight in the U.S., all three major indexes fell after higher-than-expected wage data raised fresh inflation concerns ahead of the Federal Reserve’s rate decision.
The Labor Department said Tuesday the employment cost index, a measure of wages and benefits, rose 1.2% in the first quarter, above the 1% consensus estimate from economists polled by Dow Jones. Treasury yields jumped following the data, with the 2-year yield topping 5%.
The S&P 500 dropped 1.57%, while The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.49%. The Nasdaq Composite shed 2.04% to 15,657.82.
— CNBC’s Brian Evans and Sarah Min contributed to this report.