06:30 AM EDT, 03/19/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets were mixed and muted on Wednesday, as traders awaited fresh catalysts and the US Federal Reserve's pending interest-rate decision.

Hong Kong gained modestly, while Shanghai and Tokyo inched lower. Other regional exchanges also churned unevenly.

The Nikkei 225 finished 0.2% lower in Japan as traders considered the Bank of Japan's decision to remain neutral and a softer yen.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 93.54 to 37,751.88, although gaining issues outnumbered losers 154 to 67.

Materials and electronics house Taiyo Yuden led the upside, up 4.4%, while electrical equipment maker Fujikura declined 5.3%.

In economic news, the Bank of Japan concluded a two-day policy session and left its key interest rate unchanged at 0.50%.

In other news, the Finance Ministry reported that Japan logged a $3.9 billion trade surplus in February, boosted by strong demand for autos and semiconductors.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened steadily and inched higher, finishing up 0.1% on optimism regarding China's economic expansion in 2025.

The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 30.57 to 24,771.14, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 46 to 35. However, the Hang Seng TECH Index lost 1.1% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 1.5%.

Leading the upside was Budweiser Brewing APAC, gaining 6.5%, while telecom service China Unicom declined 4.5%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.1% to 3,426.43.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 0.6%; the Taiwan TWSE declined 1.4%; the Australian ASX 200 declined 0.4%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.3%, and the Thai Set inclined 1.2%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was up 0.2%.

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