SINGAPORE – Asian stocks braked around two-month highs on Thursday, while the dollar nursed modest losses, after the U.S. Federal Reserve chose not to hike interest rates for the first time in 17 months, even if it opened the door to more hikes ahead. The Fed left its benchmark funds rate window at 5-5.25 percent, and chair Jerome Powell said the U.S. central bank needed to gather more information about the economy to determine what to do next. Committee members surprised markets by projecting two more 25 basis point hikes this year, sending short-term U.

https://business.inquirer.net/405469/stocks-stall-as-us-rates-seen-higher-for-longer

#inquirer