Wall Street ended lower on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged but opened the door to a possible rate increase later this year.
The Fed had not been expected to move interest rates at its two-day meeting, ended on Wednesday, but investors have been anxious for hints about when an increase might come in light of concerns about fallout from Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union.
The U.S. central bank indicated less worry about possible shocks that could push the U.S. economy off course and noted that inflation expectations were little changed in recent months.
Asian stocks edged up early on Thursday after the Federal Reserve provided an positive assessment of the world's largest economy and lifted risk sentiment.
The dollar sagged against its peers as some in the currency market had hoped the Fed would give a clearer indication that it could raise rates within the year.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS gained 0.3 percent, climbing to its highest level since August 2015.
Reference: Reuters
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