Interest rates ease in the Euro Zone. Gold falls. Dollar advances – Markets in a minute

Europe points to losses before the Fed. Only Japan escaped the falls in Asia

To the European stock exchanges point to a negative start to the sessionon a day when investors are waiting for another monetary policy meeting, this time from the North American Federal Reserve (Fed).

Euro Stoxx 50 futures drop 0.3%, with the market waiting for clues about the next steps in the world’s largest economy.

At Asia, trading ended mostly in the red, with only the Japanese indices counteracting the falls by registering gains. This was on the day that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) put an end to the negative interest cycle and raised interest rates, in line with analysts’ expectations, for the first time since 2007.

In Japan, the Nikkei gained 0.66% and the Topix rose 1.06%. In China, the Hang Sengin Hong Kong, lost 1.13%, penalized by technology, and the Shanghai Composite fell 0.72%, while the Kospiin South Korea, fell 1.1%.

Although the rise in interest rates generally penalized shares, the increase by the BoJ had long since been incorporated by the market. “A good decision by the Bank of Japan helped avoid unrest in financial markets and reflects the power of strong communication,” explained Charu Chanana, analyst at Saxo Capital, speaking to Bloomberg.

The focus now turns to the Fed’s two-day meeting, which starts today and ends on Wednesday. The swap market points to a 99% probability of maintaining the reference rate between 5.25% and 5.5%, with the big question being the “timing” in which the central bank will begin to ease interest rates.