Data will determine future course, say analysts
The US Federal Reserve's first interest rate hike in almost a decade on Wednesday was widely anticipated. Here are some of the market reactions to the move, which raised the range of its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a point to between 0.25 per cent and 0.5 per cent
"The Fed has delivered exactly on expectations: A hike and the start of normalising monetary policy but with a dovish commentary. The well-behaved nature of bond and equity markets overnight speaks to the Fed delivering on expectations for now. Economic numbers, especially US wage data, will now determine the steepness and speed of the rise."
- Andrew Swan, head of Asian equities, BlackRock
"As anticipated, the Fed raised interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade, but the risk lies in the market's expectations of a 'slow and low' rate hiking cycle.
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