Asian shares were mixed in muted trading Wednesday as many investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting that will indicate how aggressive it will be in fighting inflation. Investors fear that the Fed could either be moving too late or could be too aggressive. The International Monetary Fund cited the omicron variant as the reason it has downgraded its forecast for global economic growth this year. The Russell 2000 index fell 29.48 points, or 1.5%, to 2,004.03. Higher interest rates tend to make shares in high-flying tech companies and other expensive growth stocks less attractive.

Source: New York Times January 25, 2022 23:43 UTC