•European stocks followed their U.S. counterparts lower on Thursday morning after the Federal Reserve chairman hinted that lower rates may not be in the cards.
The pan-European Euro Stoxx 600 Index was lower 0.3% in early deals. Most major bourses were in negative territory with only the German DAX bucking the trend.
Meanwhile, investors in the U.K. will monitor a rate decision from the Bank of England on Thursday. There are also local elections being held in the country.
•Asian markets marked time on Thursday with two major centers - Japan and China - shut for holidays while the dollar held on to overnight gains after the U.S. central bank poured cold water on rate cut expectations.
Trading in Japan will resume next Tuesday while China will be back in action on Monday.
Global equities markets have scaled new highs since the start of the year largely on expectations of easy monetary policies around the world while a positive tone on U.S.-China trade negotiations has also aided sentiment.
Investors are keeping a close eye on first-quarter earnings for clues on the health of the U.S. corporate sector.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
Thai
Eng