Charting the Markets: Federal Reserve Officials Take Center Stage

A spate of U.S. central bankers speak today, and that means investors will follow every word from Fed Chair Janet Yellen, her No.2, Stanley Fischer, and four others. Not only does the timing of the first rate increase since 2006 matter, but also the pace of increases thereafter. Global stocks are little changed for a second day after five days of losses.

After a five-day drop, the longest since Aug.24, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rebounded 2.4 percent, becoming Asia's best-performing stock market on Thursday. The gauge has suffered from a series of weaker-than-forecast Chinese economic data. It was the third worst-performing global equity benchmark in the third quarter, sinking 21 percent, after China devalued the yuan. Since then its fortunes have turned. Shares have risen 10 percent since the start of October.