Asia markets rise ahead of U.S. consumer prices update

Asian markets advanced Tuesday following a positive close on Wall Street. Investors are eagerly awaiting a crucial U.S. inflation report later in the day, which will likely set the tone for the Federal Reserve’s final meeting of the year on Wednesday. U.S. futures and oil prices also were higher. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 added 0.1% to 32,843.70. Data released on Tuesday showed wholesale prices in Japan rose by 0.3% from a year earlier in November, the slowest rate of increase in almost three years. That suggested a moderation in inflationary pressures as the central bank weighs whether or not to relax its ultra-lax monetary policy. Hong…