The dollar was softer against a basket of major currencies, with the dollar index trading at 96.939 at 6:40 a.m. HK/SIN. Against the yen, the dollar was weaker, trading at 109.52 compared to levels around the 110 handle seen in the previous session.
Nikkei futures in Chicago were 0.03 percent higher at 19,890 and Osaka futures were down 0.22 percent at 19,840. This was compared to the Nikkei 225’s last close of 19,883.52.
Down Under, SPI futures were 1.34 percent lower at 5,805 compared to the S&P/ASX 200’s Wednesday close of 5,883.904.
On Wall Street, stocks closed mixed after the Fed’s announcement. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 0.22 percent or 46.09 points to close at 21,374.56. The S&P 500 dipped 0.1 percent or 2.43 points to finish the session at 2,437.92 and the Nasdaq edged lower by 0.41 percent or 25.48 points to end at 6,194.89.
Oil prices fell to a seven-month low overnight due to a build in U.S. gasoline stocks. Brent crude settled 3.5 percent lower at $47 a barrel and U.S. crude tumbled 3.7 percent to settle at $44.73.
In New Zealand, first quarter GDP rose 0.5 percent, missing an expected gain of 0.7 percent on quarter, and at an annual pace of 2.5 percent, below the 2.7 percent gain seen. The kiwi fell 0.29% to 0.7248 against the dollar after the data.
Economic data expected through the course of the trading session includes the Reserve Bank of Australia’s bulletin at 9:30 a.m. HK/SIN and China foreign direct investment numbers for the month of May at 3:00 p.m.
In central bank news, the Bank of Japan begins a two-day meeting today. The Bank of England will make its rate decision at 7:00 p.m. HK/SIN.