Asian Stocks Open Cautiously as Traders Wait on Fed, Japan Trade Data Mixed

Asian markets made a nervous start to trading, with investors reluctant to take large positions ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy announcement. The caution reflects uncertainty over how far the Fed will go on interest rates and what officials signal about the path beyond this meeting. Separately, Japan reported that August imports jumped as oil prices pushed up the cost of energy purchases, while exports stayed firm. The trade figures give a read on how Japanese manufacturers and energy buyers are faring as global oil prices move, a factor that also feeds into inflation expectations the Bank of Japan is watching. The open question for the region is whether the Fed's decision, once announced, triggers a bigger directional move than the pre-decision positioning suggests, and whether Japan's import costs keep rising if oil prices stay elevated.