Nikkei 225, Nifty 50, CSI 300

Asia-Pacific markets were set for a higher open Wednesday as investors awaited the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision, widely believed to bring a second consecutive 25-basis-point reduction.

Markets are assigning a nearly 100% probability that another quarter-point reduction, on the heels of September’s cut, would bring the federal funds rate to a range between 3.75%-4.00%.

“If [Fed chair Jerome Powell] comes off dovish, bets for future Fed cuts will increase and provide more fuel to market momentum,” veteran investor Louis Navellier wrote in a daily note.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 futures pointed to a stronger open, with the contract in Chicago at 50,745 and its counterpart in Osaka at 50,660, compared to the previous close of 50,219.18.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 started the day flat.

Hong Kong markets are closed for the holidays.

Overnight in the U.S., all three major averages closed higher. The S&P 500 rose 0.23% to close at 6,890.89. It had surpassed the 6,900 level for the first time on an intraday basis earlier in the day.

The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.80% to finish at 23,827.49, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 161.78 points, or 0.34%, to settle at 47,706.37. In addition to their closing highs, the tech-heavy Nasdaq and 30-stock Dow scored new all-time intraday highs alongside the broad market S&P 500.

—CNBC’s Jeff Cox, Sean Conlon and Pia Singh contributed to this report.