• The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 166.97 points, or 0.67 percent, to 24,797.78, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 14.93 points, or 0.55 percent, to 2,701.33 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 16.08 points, or 0.22 percent, to7,218.23.
U.S. stocks closed lower on Wednesday in a rocky session after the release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s January meeting pushed yields on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note to a four-year high.
Stocks initially reacted positively, with each of the major Wall St indexes touching session highs. Stocks began to pare gains, however, as bond yields US10YT=RR climbed to a four-year high of 2.957 percent on the likelihood of further rate increases this year.
• Asia markets fell in morning trade on Thursday, after a lower finish in U.S. stocks following the release of the latest Federal Reserve minutes.
Japan's Nikkei 225 was down 1.21 percent in early trade. The Topix index was also lower by 1.03 percent. In South Korea, the Kospi slipped 0.55 percent.
• Markets in China are set to resume trade after being closed for the Lunar New Year holiday.
• In the Fed's latest meeting minutes, officials saw increased economic growth and an uptick in inflation as justification to continue raising interest rates gradually. Still, members of the Federal Open Market Committee did not raise rates at their January meeting.
The meeting was also the final one for Chair Janet Yellen, who led the Fed as it took the first steps to normalization following years of very low interest rates. She was succeeded by Jerome Powell, who is expected largely to carry on Yellen's strategy of gradual rate hikes.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC