Nikkei
Tokyo stocks ended lower Thursday following falls on Wall Street after the US Federal Reserve signalled it could lift interest rates again this year.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was down 1.37 percent, or 452.75 points, to end at 32,571.03, while the broader Topix index was down 0.94 percent, or 22.59 points, at 2,383.41.
Hang Seng
Hong Kong stocks closed well down Thursday as global markets retreated in reaction to an indication from the Federal Reserve that it will lift interest rates again before the end of the year and keep them elevated for some time.
The Hang Seng Index fell 1.29 percent, or 230.19 points, to 17,655.41.
The Shanghai Composite Index eased 0.77 percent, or 23.87 points, to 3,084.70, while the Shenzhen Composite Index on China's second exchange lost 0.83 percent, or 15.76 points, to 1,877.64.
Gold
Gold closed lower early on Thursday as the dollar rose to a six-month high after the Federal Reserve indicated another interest-rate hike may come by year end while pushing out the horizon for easing rates.
Gold for December delivery closed down US$27.50 to settle at US$1,939.60 per ounce.
The drop comes after the Federal Reserve's policy committee ended its two-day meeting on Wednesday by standing pat on interest rates but warning another 25-basis point hike is likely before the end of the year. It also warned rates will stay higher for longer than market hopes.
The ICE dollar index eased after touching highest since March on the Fed outlook and was last seen up 0.09 points to 105.29.
"The dollar moved higher following the hawkish surprise from the FOMC on the 2024 rate projections," Saxo Bank noted.
Treasury yields were mixed following the Fed outlook. The US two-year note was last seen paying 5.152%, down 3.8 basis points, while the yield on the 10-year note was up 5.3 basis points to 4.468% after earlier touching 4.494%, the highest since 2007.
Oil
Oil steadied as a broad, risk-off sentiment eroded gains driven by Russia's ban on gasoline and diesel exports, further tightening an already stressed global fuel market.
The measures, designed to stabilize Russia's domestic fuel prices, will remove supplies from the worldwide diesel market at a time when refiners are struggling to meet demand. So far this year, Russia has been the world's single biggest seaborne exporter of the fuel.
West Texas Intermediate settled below $90 a barrel, after earlier rallying close to $91. In broader markets, investors fled risky assets after the Federal Reserve flagged that borrowing costs would likely stay higher for longer.
Russia's export ban comes after its shipments of the fuel already were down by a third this month, which had helped push Europe's diesel benchmark near to $130 a barrel this month.
WTI for November delivery fell 3 cents to settle at $89.63 a barrel in New York.
Brent for November settlement dropped 23 cents to close at $93.30.
