BoJ Minutes To Be Released On Wednesday

Asian markets are mostly lower on Tuesday, following the negative cues from Wall Street overnight, as traders remain cautious and are not willing to take any significant positions ahead of monetary policy announcement by the US Fed tomorrow. With the Fed widely expected to lower interest rates by another 25 basis points, traders are likely to pay close attention to the accompanying statement.

Indian shares look set to open a tad lower on Tuesday as investors react to weak global cues, a stronger dollar and rising bond yields ahead of the highly anticipated Federal Reserve's interest-rate decision.

The Thai stock market has ticked lower in three straight sessions, sinking more than 15 points or 1.2 percent along the way. The Stock Exchange of Thailand now sits just above the 1,260-point plateau and it's looking at another soft start again on Tuesday.

The Canadian dollar declined against the U.S. dollar in the New York session on Monday.

The Indonesia stock market has alternated between positive and negative finishes through the last four trading days since the end of the two-day winning streak in which it had picked up almost 110 points or 1.3 percent. The Jakarta Composite Index now sits just above the 8,710-point plateau although it's expected to open under pressure on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is flat to lower ahead of the FOMC meeting later this week. The European markets were mixed and little changed and the U.S. bourses were soft and the Asian markets figure to split the difference. The JCI finished modestly higher on Monday following gains from the telecom, resource and energy companies, while the financials were mixed and the cement stocks were down. For the day, the index advanced 77.93 points or 0.90 percent to finish at 8,710.70 after trading between 8,642.06 and 8,720.09. Among the actives, Bank CIMB Niaga was down 0.28 percent, while Bank Mandiri climbed 1.02 percent, Bank Danamon Indonesia dropped 0.80 percent, Bank Negara Indonesia added 0.47 percent, Bank Rakyat Indonesia collected 0.55 percent, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison vaulted 3.83 percent, Indocement sank 0.72 percent, Semen Indonesia lost 0.69 percent, Indofood Sukses Makmur tumbled 1.76 percent, United Tractors plunged4.86 percent, Astra International rose 0.37 percent, Energi Mega Persada skyrocketed 18.67 percent, Astra Agro Lestari fell 0.31 percent, Aneka Tambang rallied 2.06 percent, Vale Indonesia spiked 2.57 percent, Timah shed 0.63 percent, Bumi Resources surged 5.88 percent and Bank Central Asia was unchanged.

The Japanese stock market is trading modestly lower on Tuesday, reversing the gains in the previous session, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight. The Nikkei 225 is falling well below the 50,500 level, with weakness in index heavyweights and a mixed performance across most other sectors.

The Hong Kong stock market on Monday ended the two-day winning streak in which it had climbed more than 325 points or 1.3 percent. The Hang Seng Index now sits just above the 25,760-point plateau and it's expected to open to the downside again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is flat to lower ahead of the FOMC meeting later this week. The European markets were mixed and little changed and the U.S. bourses were soft and the Asian markets figure to split the difference. The Hang Seng finished sharply lower on Monday following losses from the financial shares, property stocks and technology companies. For the day, the index stumbled 319.72 points or 1.23 percent to finish at 25,765.36 after trading between 25,755.01 and 26,151.46. Among the actives, Alibaba Group declined 1.03 percent, while Alibaba Health Info skidded 0.92 percent, ANTA Sports cratered 2.69 percent, China Life Insurance fell 0.57 percent, China Mengniu Dairy dropped 0.82 percent, China Resources Land tumbled 1.55 percent, CITIC lost 0.65 percent, CNOOC tanked 2.26 percent, CSPC Pharmaceutical plunged 2.85 percent, Galaxy Entertainment added 0.70 percent, Haier Smart Home stumbled 1.77 percent, Hang Lung Properties retreated 1.44 percent, Henderson Land retreated 1.71 percent, Hong Kong & China Gas slumped 0.97 percent, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China plummeted 3.48 percent, JD.com shed 0.68 percent, Lenovo sank 0.80 percent, Li Auto was down 0.36 percent, Li Ning and Xiaomi Corporation both slipped 0.47 percent, Meituan gained 0.45 percent, New World Development climbed 1.13 percent, Nongfu Spring surrendered 2.12 percent, Techtronic Industries crashed 2.29 percent and WuXi Biologics advanced 0.98 percent.

The China stock market has moved higher in back-to-back sessions, advancing almost 50 points or 1.3 percent along the way. The Shanghai Composite Index now sits just above the 3,920-point plateau although it may be stuck in neutral on Tuesday.