Markets fall as investors await Fed decision

Markets fell on Tuesday.

The S&P 500 fell 0.2 percent, the STOXX Europe 600 fell 1.1 percent and the Nikkei 225 fell 0.7 percent.

US crude oil futures fell 2.3 percent while the yield on the US 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.961 percent from 1.963 percent on Monday.

The S&P 500 fell only slightly on Tuesday despite data showing that US retail sales declined 0.1 percent in February while retail sales for January were revised to a 0.4 percent drop compared with an initially-reported 0.2 percent rise.

US stock-trading volume remained low on Tuesday, coming in at the second-lowest this year after hitting a 2016 trough on Monday.

Some investors may be on the sidelines while waiting for the outcome of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.