ASX to open flat, Wall Street consolidates, bitcoin surges

News Snapshot:

On Wall Street, shares were mixed in afternoon trade after Fed boss Jerome Powell reiterated comments he made last week that most US policymakers see rates a bit higher this year. Still, Powell’s comments did little to alter the view that the Fed is finished. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta president Raphael Bostic said in an online comment that he agreed with the view that “the bar to justify further rate hikes is higher than it was a few months ago”. Nigel Green of deVere Group said the prospect of higher rates in the US, as well as the UK,...