FEDERAL RESERVE

The Nikkei skidded 1.3 percent, after the dollar sunk to a two-week low against the yen overnight following Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's decision to delay a sales tax increase.

Hackers broke into the computer systems of the Bangladeshi central bank and issued instructions through the SWIFT network to transfer $951 million of its deposits.

St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard added that a rebound in U.S. GDP growth seems to be materializing in the second quarter.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.25 percent as markets pondered the Fed outlook.

The Fed chair’s rate hike endorsement Friday was just what the currency market was looking for to take the already-bullish dollar yet higher early Monday.

In the wake of an up-and-down first quarter, the Federal Reserve has markets bracing for a potential rate hike in June. But the economic picture isn’t so clear.

A relatively tight labor market in the U.S. may exert upward pressure on inflation, raising the case for higher interest rates, he said.

Meanwhile, Japan's Nikkei rose 1 percent thanks to a weaker yen, which fell to a three-week low against the dollar.

Minutes from the Fed’s April meeting suggest the central bank is much closer to lifting rates again than Wall Street expects.

Tuesday’s upbeat consumer price data point to a steady buildup in inflation, boosting chances of an interest rate hike later this year.

In its semiregular update on monetary policy, the Federal Reserve provided subtle hints regarding its openness to a June rate hike.

The U.S. Federal Reserve’s latest policy statement suggests openness to raising rates at its next meeting in June.

The Fed raised its policy interest rate last December for the first time in a decade when market volatility finally subsided in the wake of a scare over China’s economy.

In an interview published late Tuesday, the presidential candidate also said he backed efforts to diminish the Fed’s power and allow congressional audits.

Risks to the U.S. economy are “slightly­” tilted to the downside, William Dudley said in calling for a gradual approach to rate hikes.

Financial data show the nation to be “on a solid course,” Janet Yellen said Thursday at an event with three of her predecessors.

The disclosure appeared in newly released minutes of the Fed’s March policy-setting meeting.

The minutes of the March meeting, to be released Wednesday, would provide details on Fed policymakers’ views on global economy and interest rate projections.

Evidence of wage gains and a drop in part-time workers are among the details that Fed officials could be seeking from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Historically low economic growth is likely here to stay, said Charles Evans, president of the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank.

The Fed chief’s comments in a speech about the economy Tuesday come as the gap between the Fed’s hawks and doves has grown more apparent.