Hong Kong Stocks Poised for Higher Open as Fed Holds Rates, Oil Surge Caps Gains

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index is expected to open higher on Thursday after gaining 53.51 points, or 0.23%, to close at 23,094.83 on Wednesday, buoyed by technology and semiconductor stocks despite weakness in metals and durable goods. The index traded between 23,023.04 and 23,157.40 during the session, sitting just below the 23,100-point plateau. The cautiously optimistic outlook for Asian markets follows the Federal Reserve's decision to leave interest rates unchanged, though upside is expected to be limited by rising crude oil prices. On Wall Street, the Dow rose 0.19% to 52,475.10, the NASDAQ added 0.27% to 26,549.85, and the S&P 500 gained 0.28% to 7,743.98. CME Group's FedWatch Tool indicates an 85.0% chance the Fed will raise rates by a quarter point at its December 8-9 meeting. West Texas Intermediate crude jumped 3.12% to $103.02 per barrel on reports of possible U.S. attacks on Iran by next week, fueling supply disruption concerns.