Asian stock markets are higher on Thursday following the overnight gains on Wall Street after the U.S. Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged as expected and also said it will be patient regarding further rate hikes.
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell noted in his press conference that the "case for raising rates has weakened somewhat." Investors also digested data showing that China's manufacturing activity contracted for a second straight month in January.
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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.