Asian stock markets are trading mostly lower on Friday, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight, as the markets remain concerned over the outlook for interest rates amid the prospect of further policy tightening from the US Fed as part of its commitment to reign in stubborn inflation. Recent hawkish comments by some Fed officials are also weighing on the markets. Asian markets ended mixed on Thursday.
A slew of Fed officials suggested U.S. interest rates would keep climbing for some time to cool inflation.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Business News
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.