Asian stock markets, led by Japan, are mostly lower on Thursday following the overnight sell-off on Wall Street after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the fourth time this year and also projected two rate hikes next year, with the central bank's tone not as dovish as investors had hoped. Investors also remained cautious ahead of the Bank of Japan's monetary policy decision due later in the day.
The Australian market has pared early losses and is modestly lower after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates as expected. Banks and mining stocks are mostly higher with modest gains.
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Market Analysis
May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.