Asian Stocks Rise as Investors Await Fed Interest Rate Decision

The American central bank will announce later on Wednesday about a possible interest rate cut, and the stock exchanges in Asia seem to be hopeful ahead of the message. The central bank is expected to lower the key interest rate by 0.25 percentage points, to 3.75–4.00 percent, reports CNBC.

The Japanese Nikkei 225 index rises 2.1 percent, the broader Topix index is however unchanged.

Shanghai's composite index increases 0.4 while Shenzhen gains 0.9 percent. The Hong Kong-based Hang Seng is closed during Wednesday.