(Updates to close)
Sept 20 (Reuters) - Australian shares nudged higher on Tuesday, led by materials and financials, as investors awaited outcomes from policy meetings of the Bank of Japan and the U.S. Federal Reserve that conclude on Wednesday.
Reserve Bank of Australia has hinted at a stable outlook for interest rates, having already cut twice this year. S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO finished 0.2 percent, or 8.8 points, firmer at 5,303.60.
Mining giants BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) Ltd BHP.AX and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) Ltd RIO.AX rose 2.3 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively.
Retailer Woolworths Ltd WOW.AX extended gains to a third-straight session to climb 1.1 percent.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.4 percent, or 30.33 points, to 7,308.45.
Honey supplier Comvita Ltd CVT.NZ was the biggest gainer on the benchmark, jumping 3.1 percent to touch a more than one-month high.