Stock market today: Asian markets track Wall Street decline

Asian shares have declined, tracking losses on Wall Street ahead of a decision on interest rates by the Federal Reserve. U.S. futures edged higher while oil prices were little changed. Markets in Japan and China were closed Wednesday for holidays. Meanwhile, a political stalemate left the U.S. edging ever closer to what would be a catastrophic default on government debt. The S&P 500 fell 1.2% Tuesday, and the Dow fell 367 points. Some of the sharpest drops came from smaller- and mid-sized banks. They've been under heavy scrutiny as the banking system shows cracks under the weight of much higher interest rates.