Global Markets React to Hawkish Fed Decision, Asia Stocks and Currencies Under Pressure

Asian markets declined, with Japan's Nikkei 225 down 0.73% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 recording a 0.46% decline. The U.S. stock markets closed lower as the Federal Reserve began its two-day monetary policy meeting. In the Eurozone, the STOXX 600 index rose 0.60%, while Germany's DAX was up 0.64% and the UK's FTSE 100 gained 0.71%. Crude oil prices dropped in anticipation of the Fed meeting, with WTI down 1.03% and Brent down 0.98%. US futures were mostly positive, and the US Dollar Index was down 0.13%.