Asian stock markets are trading mostly sharply lower on Friday, following the mixed cues from Wall Street overnight, on ongoing concerns over the tensions in the middle-east with reports of Israel retaliating to last weekend's attacks. Interest rates continued to weigh on markets as the US Fed is now widely expected to hold off on cutting rates until at least July. Asian markets ended mostly higher on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari called for patience in rate reductions, saying the first move may not take place until 2025
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May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.