Asian stocks were mixed and the dollar marked time on Wednesday, with markets waiting for the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy statement due later in the session for clues to when the Fed will hike interest rates. Indonesian, Singaporean and Japanese shares fell 0.1 percent, while Australian stocks dropped 0.5 percent.
But Chinese shares, sitting atop multi-year highs reached on hopes of more monetary stimulus, added to gains. The Shanghai Composite Index reached its highest since May 2008, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng and South Korea's Kospi also gained. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.4 percent.
Euro Steady
The euro was steady at $1.0607 having crawled back from a 12-year low of $1.0457 on Monday.
A number of strong U.S. employment reports have increased wagers over the past few weeks on the Fed tightening as early as June.
The prospect of the Fed hiking rates in the summer and drawing liquidity away from the rest of the world has caused the dollar's peers to tumble and triggered tumult in emerging market equities.
"The FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting could well produce some passing volatility but have little net impact,” Sean Callow, a senior currency strategist at Westpac in Sydney, wrote in a note to clients. "The removal of the word 'patient' from the statement has been so well flagged that it would be a true shock (slamming USD) if it is retained."
The Fed statement is due at 1800 GMT, followed 30 minutes later by a news conference with Chair Janet Yellen.