Asian equities edged higher as investors awaited the Federal Reserve's interest-rate decision, with gains in South Korea, Japan, mainland China and India offsetting a decline in Hong Kong. The MSCI Asia Pacific index rose about 0.2%, while India's BSE Sensex gained about 0.5% to 74,348 after a prior-session selloff. Markets priced a 92.4% probability of a 25-basis-point Fed increase, which would be the first rise since 2023. U.S. 10-year Treasury yields briefly exceeded 5% before easing to about 4.99% in Asian trading. Oil prices declined on Wednesday but remained near multimonth highs, with the retreat likely reflecting technical repositioning alongside a strong dollar and elevated Treasury yields; Brent crude remained near $108 a barrel amid supply disruptions affecting Saudi Arabia. India’s payments authority introduced a 0.4% fee on selected person-to-merchant payments above 2,000 rupees, about $20, effective October 15, putting Paytm, One Mobikwik, Yes Bank, Axis Bank and Pine Labs in focus. Three Indian companies, Hero Motors, SS Retail and Jindal Supreme India, opened initial public offerings for subscription.