SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asian share markets jumped on Friday as a last-gasp Sino-U.S. trade deal and a likely major election win by Britain’s Conservative Party looked to have cleared a couple of dark clouds from the global horizon.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady following its two-day meeting this week and indicated that no action is likely next year amid persistently low inflation.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian stocks rose on Thursday to the highest in a month after the Federal Reserve signaled rate settings were likely to remain accommodative, but the imminent UK election and a deadline for Sino-U.S. trade talks kept investors cautious.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The dollar nursed its steepest losses in weeks on Thursday, after the U.S. Federal Reserve’s benign inflation outlook hosed down expectations for a rate hike any time soon, pushing Treasury yields lower.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Oil prices steadied on Thursday with the market mood switching to relief as OPEC forecast a supply deficit next year, from doom and gloom over data showing a surprise increase in U.S. crude inventories.

MUMBAI (NewsRise) -- Passenger vehicle sales in India declined in November after a blip in the previous month, prompting the nation's main auto industry group to call for tax cuts to spur demand for cars and motorcycles.