Asian markets ended mixed today, as investors look ahead to the Bank of Japan rate decision. The Bank of Japan is expected to keep rates at ultra-low levels, as per the reports received. So, Japan's Nikkei-225 index rose 0.4 percent and South Korea's Kospi index climbed 0.9 percent. But China's Shanghai Composite index dropped 1 percent; Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slid 1.5 percent and Singapore's Straits Times Index fell 0.6 percent.

In Europe, stock markets traded mixed, as the investors awaited the European Central Bank's latest monetary policy decision, in which it's widely expected to announce its first interest rate hike in years. So, London's FTSE-100 and Germany's DAX had fallen 0.5 percent, but France's CAC-40 had gained 0.1 percent, in intra-day trade.