U.S. retail sales for February, data Fed officials will see before kicking off their two-day policy meeting on Tuesday, were weaker than expected.

Money does not offer advisory services.*** Wall Street’s so-called fear index is surging, contributing to ongoing uncertainty about the state of the stock market. The Chicago Board Options Exchange’s CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) is a measure of the market’s expected volatility based on S&P 500 options.

Asian shares mostly rose Tuesday as investors were encouraged by another rally on Wall Street. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 1.3% to 37,903.43. The Bank of Japan was expected to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at a monetary policy board meeting due to wrap up Wednesday.