Major stock market indexes in the Asia-Pacific region traded lower on Wednesday amid rising concerns about possible rate hikes in some of the world's largest economies.
Investors in the region keep their eyes on the highly anticipated meeting minutes by the US Federal Reserve, set to be released later in the day. The release comes after unexpectedly strong US inflation data and a drop in weekly jobless claims added to fears that the Fed may raise its central rates further.
In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite was 0.88% down at 3:15 am CET, with the Shenzhen Composite losing 0.51% a minute later. At 3:17 am CET, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell by 0.33% as Hong Kong's Hang Seng and Japan's Nikkei 225 lost 0.84% and 1.42%, respectively. South Korea's Kospi went 1.53% down at 3:19 am CET, as the dollar went 0.17% down against the yen, going for ¥134.7000.
