Asian stock markets ended lower as the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) monetary policy decision nears
Stocks in Asia settled mostly in the red on low volume ahead of
key central bank decisions out of the U.S. and Japan later in the week. With the Bank of Japan (BoJ) in focus, kicking off its two-day policy meeting today, a strengthening yen weighed on Japan's Nikkei, which settled 0.2% lower after being closed for holiday on Monday. Bank stocks, though, managed to outperform.
Stocks also edged lower in China, where sliding crude oil prices added to pre-Fed jitters. Specifically, the Shanghai Composite dropped 0.1%, while next door, Hong Kong's Hang Seng dipped 0.1%, as well. On the other hand, South Korea's Kospi closed with a 0.5% win.
Meanwhile in Europe, indexes are sitting on modest gains, though energy stocks are cooling after
Monday's surge. Mining stocks are leading the way, following some bullish attention from brokerage firm Macquarie. Amid low trading volumes, Germany's DAX was last seen 0.6% higher, as was London's FTSE 100, while France's CAC 40 was sporting a 0.3% lead.
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