The odds on rate cuts shortened after the US posted milder-than-feared inflation numbers with tech stocks leading the charge

Investors were keeping their powder dry on a subdued day of trading ahead of the release of the latest US inflation figures

Investors were on edge ahead of the latest US inflation data while China stocks retreated in the face of more trade curbs from Washington

Investors across the region were focused on what will be another key week for global interest rates and China’s continuing struggles

Investor attention was on a range of factors on Thursday with trade numbers, tech bets and policy tweaks all coming into play

Mixed cues from US Fed chiefs on their interest rate plans, bets on BoJ intervention to prop up a sliding yen and China’s real estate woes all weighed on investors

Shares across Asia rallied to their highest since the beginning of last year while Japan’s yen continued its recovery

The US Fed ruled out more rate hikes but also dismissed the chances of cuts any time soon, while Japan’s yen rallied pressuring equities

All eyes were on the US Fed, as it concludes its two-day meeting, looking for clues on its interest rate plans

Investors were in subdued mood ahead key data releases and the latest Fed meeting while the yen saw a turnaround in its fortunes

Investor mood was upbeat after Beijing moved to help its crisis-hit real estate sector, lifting hopes of more stimulus for the world’s No2 economy

Google-owner Alphabet and Microsoft posted better-than-expected quarterly results while big funds upgraded their outlook for Chinese stocks