Business Standard ·
Economy, business and finance
Asian stocks edge higher ahead of Fed decision as yields, oil pause
Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 slumped 0.5%, marking its second consecutive day of declines as the yield on the 10-year Treasury bond hit its highest level since 2007
Stocks made tentative gains at the start of the Asian trading session on Wednesday as a rise in global bond yields and oil prices paused ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy decision due later in the day.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fluctuated between gains and losses after declining for four consecutive sessions and was last up 0.2%, led by a 0.8% gain in Korean shares. S&P 500 e-mini futures nudged 0.1% higher.
"US equity markets closed lower overnight as rising Treasury yields, another jump in crude and the polarised debate around pacing AI development left the market in a cautious mood," said Tony Sycamore, market analyst at IG in Sydney.
The yield on the US 10-year Treasury bond was 0.8 basis point lower at 4.9875% in Asian trade after breaching the 5% mark on Tuesday for the first time in three years, ahead of a rate decision from the Federal Reserve and a media conference by Fed Chair Kevin Warsh.