Oil extended declines on Thursday after the previous day's plunge, as China's industrial output and retail sales growth in May missed forecasts, reinforcing concerns about a weak economic recovery in the world's top oil importer.

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday but signaled in new projections that borrowing costs may still need to rise by as much as half of a percentage point by the end of this year, as the U.S. central bank reacted to a stronger-than-expected economy and a slower decline in inflation.

Strikes at Chinese factories have surged to a seven-year high and are expected to become more frequent as weak global demand forces exporters to cut workers' pay and shut down plants, one rights group and economists say.

China's central bank cut the borrowing cost of its medium-term policy loans for the first time in 10 months on Thursday, in line with expectations, as Beijing ramps up stimulus measures to shore up a shaky economic recovery.

Asian stocks braked around two-month highs on Thursday, while the dollar nursed modest losses, after the U.S. Federal Reserve chose not to hike interest rates for the first time in 17 months, even if it opened the door to more hikes ahead.

Japan's exports grew unexpectedly in May on robust car sales, though the rate of expansion slowed to a crawl as inflation and rising interest rates bit into global demand, highlighting a patchy recovery in the world's third-largest economy.