Asian shares mixed in quiet trading ahead of US Federal Reserve decision

 Asian shares were mixed in quiet trading Wednesday ahead of a US Federal Reserve meeting that may give clues on what lies ahead with its massive support for markets

Asian shares were mixed in quiet trading Wednesday ahead of a US Federal Reserve meeting that may give clues on what lies ahead with its massive support for markets.

Japan released data that showed its trade surplus jumped 49.6 percent in May from the previous year, but analysts said that was less than expected and highlights how the world's third-largest economy and its exports may be only slowly recovering from the pandemic.

Investors are also watching data out of China on industrial production and retail sales for indications about the health of the regional economy.

Japan's Nikkei 225 slipped nearly 0.3 percent in early trading to 29,359.31. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.4 percent to 3,272.11. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.3 percent to 7,403.40. Hong Kong's Hang Seng inched down 0.1 percent to 28,603.84, while the Shanghai Composite was little changed, inching up less than 0.1 percent to 3,557.48.

Asian markets are quite ahead of the Fed, said Robert Carnell, regional head of research Asia-Pacific at ING. China's data dump may stir things up a bit today, but the main focus will be on the Fed's message and any hints they may give.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 dipped 0.2 percent to 4,246.59 as the Federal Reserve began a two-day meeting on interest rates and other policies. A day earlier, the index hit an all-time high amid optimism about the economy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.3 percent to 34,299.33. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.7 percent to 14,072.86.