GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian stocks set for mixed session as investors await Fed

By John McCrank
NEW YORK, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Asian shares were set for a
mixed open on Wednesday as investors awaited the Federal
Reserve's view on the economy at the end of its policy meeting,
although upbeat Chinese and U.S. economic data is likely to give
sentiment a tailwind.
Global equities markets rallied on Tuesday, first on data
that showed China's industrial output and retail sales picked
up, and later on an increase in U.S. factory production.
Australian S&P/ASX 200 futures YAPcm1 rose 0.75% in early
trading. Japan's Nikkei 225 futures NKc1 slid 0.13%.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index futures .HSI HSIc1 rose
0.33%.
E-mini futures for the S&P 500 EScv1 slipped 0.01%.
Commodity-linked currencies such as the Australian AUD=D3 ,
New Zealand NZD=D3 , and Canadian dollars CAD=D3 gained after
the positive Chinese data.
But with U.S. lawmakers at an impasse over a new stimulus
package, concerns about the economic recovery remained and
investors' attention shifted to the two-day U.S. Federal Reserve
meeting, which started on Tuesday.
"There is some expectation that with the U.S. Congress
unwilling/unable to agree to a new fiscal package, monetary
policy may need to step in to fill the void," NAB analyst Tapas
Strickland said in a note. "Accordingly markets will be focused
on any changes to forward guidance and to any balance sheet
adjustments."
The Bank of Japan and the Bank of England announce their
respective policy decisions on Thursday.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS closed 0.65% higher on Tuesday.
U.S. stocks ended off their session highs, with the Dow
industrials closing little changed.
Apple Inc AAPL.O retraced earlier gains after its product
event, which included the roll-out of a new virtual fitness
service and a bundle of its subscriptions into Apple One. The
stock, which often dips after a run-up prior to the event,
closed up 0.2%. The S&P 500 .SPX gained 0.52% while the tech-heavy Nasdaq
Composite .IXIC rose 1.21%. U.S. retail sales figures from August will also be in focus
on Wednesday.
Separately, the World Trade Organization found on Tuesday
that the United States had breached global trading rules by
imposing multi-billion dollar tariffs in President Donald
Trump's trade war with China, a ruling that drew anger from
Washington.