Thailand's headline consumer price index (CPI) rose 5.89% in December from a year earlier, in line with analyst forecasts, commerce ministry data showed on Thursday.

Federal Reserve policymakers agreed that a sustained period of restrictive policy would be needed to cool "unacceptably high" inflation, according to the minutes of the Fed's December meeting released on Wednesday. 

U.S. job openings fell less than expected in November as the labor market remains tight, which could see the Federal Reserve boosting interest rates to a higher level than currently anticipated to tame inflation.

Asian shares rose on Thursday on investor hopes for China's emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic, while the dollar stayed under pressure even as the U.S. Federal Reserve had a warning against market bets on interest rate cuts this year.

The Bank of Japan is putting more emphasis on an inflation gauge that excludes fuel costs, and will likely raise its projections for the index's growth in quarterly forecasts due this month, said three sources familiar with its thinking.

China’s service sector shrank for a fourth straight month in December, a private survey showed on Tuesday, as an unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases disrupted activity after the government eased several lockdown measures.