The Federal Reserve's return to higher interest rates could lend a hand to beleaguered counterparts in Japan and Europe and signal the end of a long cycle of monetary stimulus across Asia, as central banks from Beijing to Ankara to London reacted on Thursday to the U.S. policy change.
The Fed's widely anticipated and modest rate hike on Wednesday was only its third since the global financial crisis. But it came earlier than investors had expected only weeks ago and it sets the stage for roughly two more hikes this year as the U.S. economy strengthens.
Among major economies, the Bank of Japan and the European Central Bank remain locked in an aggressive battle against low inflation and growth. And while the pair are nowhere near raising rates or tapering stimulative bond buying - as Governor Haruhiko Kuroda made clear when the BOJ held policy steady on Thursday - the pair has recently begun sounding more optimistic that their time will soon come.
Reference: Reuters
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