BEIJING – Asian stock markets followed Wall Street higher on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve said its key interest rate would be kept near zero through 2023.
Benchmarks in Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong advanced. Sydney retreated. The Fed's promise to keep rates near rock bottom came even as it forecast this year's economic growth will rebound to 6.5% — its strongest since the 1980s — and inflation will climb above 2% for the first time in years.
On Wall Street, the benchmark S&P 500 index rose 0.3% to a new high. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's comments at a news conference appeared to reassure investors who worry higher inflation might prompt central banks to raise rates, which would weigh on economic growth. “The market reaction