Asian markets were mixed on Thursday after President Donald Trump said he had "no intention" of firing the US central bank head and made conciliatory comments on his trade war with China. "But the fact that the rally was sparked largely by conciliatory remarks from US President Trump -- whose rhetoric is notoriously volatile -- raises questions about its durability,

A worldwide rally is coming back around to Wall Street following updates from President Donald Trump about his plans for the Federal Reserve and his trade war that investors found encouraging. The S&P 500 was 2.

Trump said he has "no intention of firing" Jerome Powell after repeatedly criticising the head of the central bank, but added that he would like Powell to be "a little more active" on cutting interest rates.

The following day, purchasing manager indexes from Japan to Europe to the US will offer the first coordinated glimpse of manufacturing and services activity since Trump’s global tariffs — now partly on hold — were unleashed on April 2.

Business activity in the U.S. and Europe weakened in April, in contrast to pickups in Japan and India, underlining the diverse ways in which higher U.S. tariffs are affecting economies around the world.