This story is free to read.

The Latest: Stocks, dollar firm ahead of Fed decision

People walk past an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo, Wednesday, June 14, 2017. Asian stocks were mixed Wednesday following Wall Street’s tech-driven rise as investors waited for word from the U.S. Federal Reserve on a possible interest rate hike. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama) People walk past an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo, Wednesday, June 14, 2017. Asian stocks were mixed Wednesday following Wall Street’s tech-driven rise as investors waited for word from the U.S. Federal Reserve on a possible interest rate hike. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

By Associated Press June 14, 2017 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Latest on the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting (all times local):

4:35 a.m.

World stock markets and the dollar are firm ahead of an expected interest rate increase by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Germany’s DAX index is up 0.4 percent and Britain’s FTSE 100 0.1 percent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 ended the day marginally lower. Some gains are expected on Wall Street later, with the futures for both the Dow and S&P 500 up 0.1 percent.

In currency markets, the dollar is up to 110.22 yen from Tuesday’s 110.04 yen. It is roughly flat against the pound, at $1.2758.

The U.S. central bank is widely predicted to nudge up its benchmark rate by a quarter point on Wednesday, to a range of 1 percent to 1.25 percent.