Asian stocks posted strong gains on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell did not provide any new details on interest rates at his Senate confirmation hearing.
Powell has made it clear interest rates will increase if inflation persists but also said he expects some of the supply chain problems that are pushing up prices will ease in the middle of this year.
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.