Nikkei 225 picks-up strength, rest of Asia lower ahead of BOJ, Fed

The Asian equity markets wavered between gains and losses this Tuesday, with most markets now trading in the red amid increased nervousness ahead of this week’s key policy decisions from the Fed and BOJ.

However, the Japanese stocks buck the trend and catch fresh bids, having re-opened after yesterday’s public holiday. Further, sentiment also soured somewhat after oil prices paused its rally on reports that Libyan and Nigerian supply may rise, reinforcing supply glut concerns.

While the Australian equities kept losses following RBA’s monetary policy minutes released last hour, with the central bank warning over the recent appreciation in the AUD. The domestic stock market resumed trading, after having suspended trading for rest of the day on Monday due to a technical glitch.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkei 225 advances +0.33% to 16,574, the Australian S&P/ASX 200 drops -0.24% to 5,284, while the Chinese equities turn lower, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite index down -0.16%, while CSI300 index rises -0.11%. Hong Kong markets decline -0.50% to trade above 23,430 levels.