Morning capsule: 10-sec guide to news from global markets

The US markets closed lower for a second session post the Fed's policy meeting announcement and as investors remain cautious following weak corporate guidance. With this, the S&P 500 now stands at a 7-week low and has lost nearly 4% since its 2012 high. One spot of relief though was Facebook, which surged 19% after they reported sales beyond expectations. The CBOE volatility index fell near 18.

The Federal Reserve maintained its view on the economy saying it growing moderately but added it was not sure if the labour market would continue to improve without ongoing support. The FOMC said it will stick to its bond buying program and reiterated plans to keep short-term rates low till at least through the middle of 2015.

And in economic data from the region, new home rose 5.7 percent in September to 389,000 hitting the highest since April 2010. Meanwhile, weekly mortgage applications tumbled last week as demand for both purchase loans and re-financings fell.

In key data to watch out for in the US today: Weekly jobless claims are expected to slip to 372,000. Also, durable goods orders could rise 7 percent for the month of September and the pending home sales index will gain 2.5%.

European markets end higher as encouraging Chinese data fueled a rebound in oil and mining stocks and strong earnings boosted tech shares. Asian shares steadied on Thursday, but sentiment remained vulnerable with weak corporate earnings continuing to undermine investor confidence.

The China HSBC Flash Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) rose to a three-month high of 49 .1 in October, the latest indicator of the real economy since official data last week showed GDP growth fell below target in Q3, despite signs of strength in September.

In the currency space, the dollar drifted off a two-week peak against a basket of major currencies after the Federal Reserve stuck to its stimulus programme. The Dollar Index retreated from a peak of 80.15. A

nd in commodities, Brent crude prices slip to 107 dollar levels as rising US crude stockpiles and weak eurozone economic data offset supportive signs that Chinese petroleum demand could stage a recovery. Gold remained steady above USD 1700 after slipping below that level.