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Investors cautious ahead of central bank meetings

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Fed rate cut all but certain, focus moves to rates outlook

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Yen steady after Japan earthquake, limited impact

By Ankur Banerjee

SINGAPORE, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Asian stocks fell and the

dollar was steady on Tuesday as investors braced for a cut in

U.S. interest rates later this week while the yen was calm after

a powerful earthquake rocked Japan's northeast region though the

impact was limited.

Investor sentiment remained cautious ahead of a slew of

central bank meetings, including a looming decision by the

Reserve Bank of Australia on the day, as markets look for a

clearer picture of the outlook for global interest rates.

The RBA, SNB and Bank of Canada are all expected to hold

rates steady this week, while the Federal Reserve is widely

expected to lower borrowing costs on Wednesday.

The spotlight though is on what comes after the Fed's

December rate cut, with bond investors positioning for a shallow

U.S. easing cycle. Many Wall Street banks predict fewer Fed

interest rate cuts in 2026 on lingering inflation concerns and

expectations of a more resilient U.S. economy.

That has left stocks trading sideways. MSCI's broadest index

of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was 0.28%

lower after a weak overnight session on Wall Street. Japan's

Nikkei eased 0.08% , while South Korea's Kospi

fell 0.58%.

"The low-hanging fruit from risk management cuts is likely

over and Chair (Jerome) Powell's presser is likely to convey a

more cautious approach going forward regarding additional policy

recalibration," said Prashant Newnaha, senior Asia-Pacific rates

strategist at TD Securities.

"The dot plot is likely to show one cut in 2026. In the

instance the dot plot shows two cuts for next year this would be

dovish."

While a rate cut is expected, some strategists think the

Fed's policy committee could be sharply divided.

The meeting will also be held amid heightened market

interest on who will succeed Powell as Fed Chair when his term

ends in May next year. White House Economic Adviser and top

contender for the Fed Chair role Kevin Hassett said in an

interview that the Fed should continue to lower interest rates.

Traders are pricing in 77 basis points of easing by the end

of next year, according to LSEG data.

David Mericle, chief U.S. economist at Goldman Sachs,

expects the Fed will likely raise the bar for further rate cuts,

noting there will be dissenters among the committee for further

easing and Powell will be cautious.

"But the FOMC cannot box itself in too much, especially at a

time when we are two employment reports out of date, because a

January cut could turn out to be appropriate."

Asian chip stocks wobbled after U.S. President Donald Trump

said the United States will allow Nvidia's ( NVDA ) H200

processors, its second-best artificial intelligence chips, to be

exported to China and collect a 25% fee on such sales. China's

CSI Semiconductor Industry Index was down about 1%

in early trading.

In currencies, the dollar was mostly steady on Tuesday. The

euro last bought $1.1640 while sterling was steady

at $1.33225. The dollar index, which measures the U.S.

currency against six rivals, was at 99.09. The index is down

nearly 9% this year, on pace for its biggest annual decline

since 2017.

The Australian dollar was steady at $0.6625 ahead of

the RBA policy decision later in the day where the central bank

is expected to stand pat on rates, although markets have been

fretting about possible hawkish cues in its commentary.

The yen was little changed at 155.87 per dollar in

early Asian hours after weakening immediately after the

earthquake. Japanese authorities lifted tsunami warnings on

Tuesday hours after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake shook

northeastern regions, injuring at least 30 people and forcing

about 90,000 residents to evacuate their homes.

In commodities, gold was 0.13% higher at $4194.11 per

ounce ahead of the Fed meeting. Oil prices steadied after diving

2% in the previous session as market participants kept a close

eye on peace talks to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

Brent crude futures were flat at $62.48 a barrel.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $58.84, down

0.07%.