- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgery: reports
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgey: reports
- 'Little Gregory' murder haunts France 40 years on
- Tariffs, tax cuts, energy: What is in Trump's economic plan?
- Amazon wants to be everything to everyone
- Jewish school in Canada hit by gunfire for second time
- With medical report Harris seeks to play health card against Trump
- China-EU EV tariff talks in Brussels end with 'major differences': Beijing
- Buried Nazi past haunts Athens on liberation anniversary
- Harris to release medical report confirming fitness for presidency: campaign
- Nobel prize a timely reminder, Hiroshima locals say
- China offers $325 bn in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Han Kang's books sell out in South Korea after Nobel win
- Shanghai markets sink ahead of briefing on mixed day for Asia
- Investors, analysts eye bigger China stimulus at Saturday briefing
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Florida battered by hurricane, floods but spared 'worst-case scenario'
- UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment
- Over 200 women in legal talks with Harrods over Fayed abuse claims
- A very stiff breeze: BBC says sorry for 20,000 kph wind forecast
- Musk finally unveiling his long-promised robotaxi
- London's Frieze art fair goes potty for ceramics
- US, Europe stocks fall on US inflation data
- US consumer inflation eases to 2.4% in September
- Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts
- South Korea's Han Kang wins literature Nobel
Asian markets mixed after US fed hikes rates again
Asian markets were mixed in early trade on Thursday, after the Federal Reserve soured the mood on Wall Street by not only raising rates but also indicating that it would not cut them any time soon.
All three major US indices declined along with the dollar after the Fed's latest hike, while recession worries drove US oil prices below $70 a barrel, where they remained on Thursday.
Hong Kong, however, bucked the slide on Wall Street to post solid morning gains of around one percent, driven by commerce and industry stocks.
Chinese shares got off to a shaky post-holiday start with early losses on the CSI 300, though the index managed to claw its way back into the green by late morning.
Sydney, Seoul, Wellington and Singapore were down, while Taipei, Jakarta and Manila were up.
Following an up day on European bourses, US stocks initially rose after the Fed hinted that Wednesday's rate hike could be its last.
But after veering in and out of positive territory, shares fell decisively once Fed Chair Jerome Powell ruled out rate cuts in 2023.
The attention now shifts to Thursday's meeting of the European Central Bank, which is expected to deliver another rate increase of its own.
Oil, meanwhile, was still down on Thursday after taking a hit over worries about weaker demand due to an economic slowdown.
US benchmark WTI was trading below $69 a barrel after hitting its lowest price since OPEC+ cut output a month ago.
- 'Bad news' for crude -
Oanda's Edward Moya said in a note that the Fed's decision to press pause on further rate hikes signalled it was becoming more worried about economic activity, which was "bad news" for the crude outlook.
"The focus will shift to OPEC+ and they might be in a position where if they want to stabilize prices, they need to deliver on previously announced production cuts and signal that more are coming," he said.
Also on investors' minds were fears that Democrats and Republicans might fail to strike a deal on raising the US debt ceiling, triggering a damaging default as early as June 1.
The White House warned Wednesday that if the US government stopped meeting its financial obligations, the resulting economic shocks could cause a six percent drop in GDP and a 45 percent stock market drop.
Meanwhile, shares of regional US lenders remained under pressure as fears swirled about the health of the banking sector.
SPI Asset Management's Stephen Innes said in a note that "even as the Fed gently taps the pause button, it's been disappointing for stocks as index investors are caught up on the messy debt ceiling and regional banking backwash".
"Looking at the markets today, investors appear to be assuming a more defensive approach, with traditionally 'safe' asset classes like Gold and bonds moving higher and oil precipitously lower," he added.
- Key figures around 0300 GMT -
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.0 percent at 19,895.49
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.4 percent at 3,334.78
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for holiday
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1083 from $1.1062 Wednesday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2588 from $1.2562
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 134.49 yen from 134.99 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 88.06 pence from 88.03 pence
West Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $68.61 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.3 percent at $72.51 per barrel
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.8 percent at 33,414.24 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 7,788.37 (close)
Ng.A.Adebayo--CPN