HONG KONG: Asian shares tracked Wall Street gains on Thursday after the U.S. central bank raised interest rates by 50 basis points but sounded a less hawkish tone than some had feared, lifting investor sentiment and sending the dollar lower.
Crude prices, meanwhile, shot up as the European Union spelled out some of the details of its plan to ban the use of Russian oil, heightening concerns about supply.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) rose 0.93%, although trading was thin with Japanese and Korean markets closed for public holidays.
China’s shares defied the broader rally with rising COVID-19 cases and a strict lockdown in the financial hub of Shanghai weighing on sentiment.