Overseas Trading: Global Markets Mixed in Lead-Up to Fed

Asian stocks settled mixed, as traders weighed an impending Fed decision against Wall Street's positive lead and a bounce in oil prices. Leading the way was Japan's Nikkei, which popped 1.4% despite a wider-than-expected trade deficit, while South Korea's Kospi settled 0.05% above breakeven. On the other side of the ledger, China's Shanghai Composite dropped during the final half-hour of trading to end with a 2.1% loss -- amid news that a high official at the China Securities Regulatory Commission is being investigated for a "severe violation of discipline" -- and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gave back 0.5%.

European bourses have also failed to pick a direction, ahead of the Fed decision. London's FTSE 100 is off 0.3%, despite a 0.2% month-over-month gain in retail sales. By contrast, the German DAX and French CAC 40 are each up 0.3%.