- A sell-off in Chinese stocks followed a top leadership meeting that left investors unhappy with a lack of significant economic assistance measures, causing stocks in Asia to fall ahead of the Federal Reserve's final decision of the year.
- Property developers were among the biggest losers as shares fell broadly in mainland China and Hong Kong, causing a regional measure to drop as much as 0.4%. The losses followed China's emphasis on industrial policy during this week's annual economic work conference, which suggested a lack of interest in significant stimulus.
- According to Grow Investment's head economist, Hao Hong, "there was no surprise from the conference." "High-quality development and security and risk management naturally imply that at this point, high-quality growth takes precedence over rapid growth."
- In contrast to Australia's stocks, which pared gains, Japan's Topix index turned flat following an earlier surge. US stock futures increased somewhat on Tuesday after the S&P 500 reached its highest level since January 2022. The VIX, Wall Street's "fear gauge," declined and was headed for a four-year low.
- The outcome of the Fed's policy meeting later on Wednesday is the main focus on a global scale. Although it is widely anticipated that the central bank would remain on hold, the most recent US inflation figures cast doubt on the possibility of a swift shift towards policy easing. With the first rate drop expected to take place in May of next year, markets have reduced their betting on it.
