Asian markets ended mixed today as the world waited to hear from the US Federal Reserve when it would stop buying assets and start raising interest rates. So China's Shanghai Composite index ended 0.4 percent, lower; Hong Kong's Hang Seng index declined 0.9 percent and Singapore's Straits Times index shed 0.2 percent. But Japan's Nikkei-225 index gained 0.1 percent and South Korea's Kospi index ended marginally higher.

In economic news, China's factory output grew faster than expected in November, supported by stronger energy production and moderation in raw materials prices, but retail sales slowed as new COVID-19 outbreaks hit the world's second-largest economy. So, factory output rose 3.8 percent in November from a year earlier, official data showed today, beating expectations for a 3.6 percent rise. Retail sales in November rose 3.9  percent from a year earlier, however, below the 4.6 percent growth expected in the poll.

In Europe, London's FTSE-100 had fallen 0.4 percent; but France's CAC-40 had climbed 0.7 percent and Germany's DAX had gained 0.3 percent, in intra-day trade.