SINGAPORE : Asian equities edged higher on Thursday, propped up by Hong Kong and China stocks even as growing fears of an economic slowdown and worries over the pace of the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes weighed on sentiment.
Elsewhere in Asia, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index lost 0.67 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei fell to near one-month low. Also weighing on the equities market was U.S. Treasury yields, with five-year notes to 30-year bonds hovering at three-month lows. The Fed is widely expected to raise interest rates by 50 basis points next week after delivering four consecutive 75 bps hikes.