Your support helps us to tell the storySupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference. Asian 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.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.4% to 39,570.73. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.7% to 8,508.30. SoftBank Group’s stock dipped 1% after reports it was in talks to possibly invest in OpenAI, while Nissan Motor’s shares gained 2.2% after the Japanese automaker confirmed plans to reduce production in the U.S. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell 0.5% to 6,039.31 following the Fed’s widely expected decision. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.3% to 44,713.52, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.5% to 19,632.32.The Fed’s 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.The yield on the 10-year Treasury held at 4.53%, where it was late Tuesday. 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.”While Wall Street would almost always prefer lower interest rates, “we would continue to focus on why the Fed won’t cut anytime soon, specifically a strong economy and labor, which bodes well for solid corporate earnings growth,” said Sameer Samana, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.Wednesday’s relative calm offered some respite following two days of disruption driven by doubts about the artificial-intelligence
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