Over in Asia, Nikkei futures in Chicago were higher by 0.06 percent at 19,755 but Osaka futures traded 0.12 percent down at 19,720. This was compared to the Nikkei 225’s Wednesday close of 19,742.98.
Australian SPI futures added 0.3 percent to trade at 5,786 against the ASX 200’s last close of 5,768.975.
Stocks on Wall Street gained on the back of news out of the Fed, with the Dow Jones industrials average rising 0.36 percent or 74.51 points to trade at 21,012.42. The S&P 500 notched record close, gaining 0.25 percent or 5.97 percent to finish at 2,404.39, while the Nasdaq added 0.4 percent or 24.31 points to end at the session at 6,163.02.
Markets are also likely to be watching the highly-anticipated OPEC meeting in Vienna. Major oil producers are expected to extend, and potentially deepen, output cuts in a bid to rebalance bloated oil markets.
Oil prices were slightly lower ahead of the upcoming meeting. U.S. crude was lower by 11 cents to settle at $51.36 a barrel while Brent crude edged 19 cents down to settle at $53.96.
