06:57 AM EDT, 05/01/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets were largely closed on holiday Wednesday, though Sydney and Tokyo fell back on Wall Street cues and ahead of the pending rate decision by the US Federal Reserve.

Exchanges in Hong Kong, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, and Taiwan were shuttered.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened lower, wobbled, and finished off 0.3% as traders took to the sidelines ahead of the US central bank policy announcement. The yen traded near 158 to the US dollar, close to recent highs.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 131.61 to 38,274.05, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 166 to 59.

Leading the upside was semiconductor company Lasertec, up 14/9% after reporting earnings, while engineering concern JGC declined 11.3%.

On the other open exchanges, the Australian ASX 200 declined 1.2% in Sydney.

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