MELBOURNE/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices held steady on Thursday as a massive hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico raced towards the heart of the U.S. oil industry, which has forced oil rigs and refineries to shut down production.

TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar wallowed near its lowest level for the week on Thursday as investors looked for hints from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell that the central bank might tweak its policy framework to help push up inflation.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asian shares touched two-year peaks on Thursday in the wake of Wall Street’s record run as cheap cash drove up big-cap tech darlings, although Sino-U.S. tensions caused caution to creep in as the session progressed.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Oil prices were in a holding pattern on Thursday as a massive storm in the Gulf of Mexico raced towards the heart of the U.S. oil industry, forcing oil rigs and refineries to shut, with little impact expected on supply as oil stockpiles remain high.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Profits at China’s industrial firms grew for a third straight month and at the fastest pace since June 2018, marking a bright spot in the economy as the manufacturing sector slowly recovers from its coronavirus slump.

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - Top U.S. and Chinese trade officials reaffirmed their commitment to a Phase 1 trade deal, which has seen China lagging on its obligations to buy American goods, giving a boost to financial markets on Tuesday.