June 16 (Reuters) - Australian stocks inched higher on...

June 16 (Reuters) - Australian stocks inched higher on Wednesday, helped by gains in energy and banking sectors, as investors refrained from making big bets ahead of the outcome of the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting later in the day.

The benchmark ASX 200 index (xjo) rose 0.2% to 7,390.7 by 0028 GMT.

All eyes are on the U.S. central bank for its comments on inflation and any potential change in its policy. Weak retail sales and strong inflation data have stoked investors' hopes of an indication towards potential tapering of policy support.

Energy stocks .AXEJ rode a surge in oil prices that hit a two-year high on expectations of a strong recovery in demand.

The sub-index gained up to 2% to hit its highest in three months, with oil producers Beach Energy (BPT) and Oil Search (OSH) rising 2.6% and 2.9%, respectively.

The country's "Big Four" banks gained, with the broader financial index .AXFJ adding 0.6%.

Tech stocks .AXIJ , however, were the worst performers, as they tracked U.S. peers lower. The sub-index dropped about 1.3% to cap gains on the benchmark.

Buy-now-pay-later giant Afterpay Ltd (APT) fell 2%, while software firm WiseTech Global (WTC) lost 2.9%.

Heavyweight mining stocks .AXMM fell nearly 1% on weaker gold and copper prices. Copper miner OZ Minerals (OZL) shed 4.9% to be top loser while gold-focused Evolution Mining (EVN) lost 1.4%.

Gold stocks .AXGD fell about 0.6% amid weaker bullion prices, with gold miners Northern Star (NST) down nearly 1%, and Newcrest Mining (NCM) down 0.6%.

In New Zealand, the S&P/NZX 50 (nz50) slid 0.3% to 12,659.3.

In other markets, Japan's benchmark index Nikkei .N225 slipped 0.1% to 29,407.37, while the S&P 500 E-minis futures EScv1 were up 0.04%.