Investors are gearing up for December's crucial consumer price index to determine the direction of Fed policy.

Asian stocks were mixed Wednesday following Wall Street’s mostly positive performance ahead of key U.S. inflation data that could influence the pace of market-boosting rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

Inflation is a term you often hear when discussing the economy, but it can be tricky to understand its impact, especially when it comes to the stock market. For beginners, the relationship between inflation and stock prices may seem confusing.