TOKYO (news agencies) — Global shares mostly rose Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve opted not to cut interest rates for the first time since it began trying to help the economy through easier rates in September.
Some Asia-Pacific markets remained closed for the Lunar New Year holiday.
Investors remain uncertain over the outlook for the U.S. economy and over what’s ahead from the administration of President Donald Trump.
France’s CAC 40 gained 0.3% in early trading to 7,898.63, while Germany’s DAX edged up 0.3% to 21,702.91. Britain’s FTSE 100 added 0.2% to 8,572.78. U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures up 0.4% at 45,053.00. S&P 500 futures rose 0.5% to 6,097.00.
In Asia, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.3% to finish at 39,513.97. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.6% to 8,493.70.
SoftBank Group’s stock dipped 1.1% after reports it was in talks to invest in OpenAI, while Nissan Motor’s shares finished 1.4% higher after the Japanese automaker confirmed plans to reduce production in the U.S.
The Fed’s latest decision could hint at rates staying on hold for a while following their swift drop at the end of 2024. Lower rates would help the economy by making it cheaper for U.S. households and companies to borrow, but the downside is they could also fuel more inflation.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the U.S. central bank could cut rates if inflation slows further or if the job market suddenly weakens. But “right now, we don’t see that, and we see things as in a really good place for policy and for the economy, and so we feel like we don’t need to be in a hurry to make any adjustments.”
Earlier in the week, there was disruption driven by doubts about the artificial-intelligence boom, after Chinese upstart, DeepSeek said it developed a more affordable large-language AI model.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude declined 18 cents to $72.44 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 35 cents to $76.23 a barrel.
The U.S. dollar cost 154.56 Japanese yen, down from 155.24 yen. The euro inched down to $1.0420 from $1.0423.
news agencies Writer Stan Choe contributed.
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