Asian stock markets are trading mixed on Thursday, following the mixed cues from Wall Street overnight, as traders react to US Fed Chair Jerome Powell and heads of other top central banks signalling further policy tightening to tame stubbornly high inflation. Powell indicated that interest rates will stay high and would not rule out two rate hikes at consecutive meetings. Asian Markets closed mixed on Wednesday.
CME Group's FedWatch Tool currently indicates an 81.8 percent chance of another quarter point rate hike next month but much lower chances of additional increases this year.
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May 08, 2026 15:50 ET Manufacturing and services sector survey results and labor market data from main economies were the highlight on the economics news front this week. Factory orders and jobs report dominated the news flow in the U.S. Similarly, industrial production data from German garnered attention in Europe. In Asia, purchasing managers’ survey results from China and the central bank decision from Australia were in focus.