· U.S. stocks climbed modestly on Wednesday to record closing highs after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged and strong earnings reports from Boeing and AT&T.
The U.S. central bank's statement did not dramatically sway Wall Street's major indexes, which hit all-time peaks on a busy day of corporate earnings reports. A slide in financial shares held back gains for the S&P 500.
As broadly expected by investors, the Fed maintained its benchmark lending rate and said it was continuing the slow path of monetary tightening. It said it expected to start winding down its massive holdings of bonds "relatively soon" in a sign of confidence in the U.S. economy.
· Asia markets were mostly higher in early Thursday trade following the Federal Reserve's decision to leave interest rates unchanged and ahead of a slew of corporate earnings.
· Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index edged down 0.07 percent while South Korea's Kospi advanced 0.52 percent in early trade.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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