SYDNEY : Share markets firmed on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve engineered an orderly start to unwinding its massive stimulus programme, though doubts about the inflation outlook did push up longer-dated bond yields.
S&P 500 futures edged up 0.1per cent, while Japan's Nikkei climbed 1.1per cent to its highest in a month. "Overall, we didn't get anything that should imply higher market pricing of hikes than what we have now," said Jan Nevruzi an analyst at NatWest Markets. The Canadian and Australian central banks have caused turmoil in their bond markets in the last couple of weeks by abruptly changing tack on policy.