In Asian Equity Markets stocks gained on Thursday, following Wall Street’s rebound. Japan’s Nikkei 225 advanced 1.67 percent and the Topix gained 1.2 percent, amid broad-based gains. Meanwhile, the Kospi tacked on 1.35 percent, driven by gains in the tech sector as heavyweight Samsung Electronics jumped 2.94 percent. Shipbuilders also traded higher, while automakers slipped. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 edged higher by 0.61 percent, with the heavily weighted financials subindex rising 1.15 percent. Despite the broader gains on the index, the materials sector slipped 0.11 percent. Mining majors traded lower, with Rio Tinto sliding 1.19 percent.

In Currency Markets the US dollar held steady against the yen on Thursday after recovering against the safe-haven Japanese currency as stocks bounced back from a sell-off triggered by an escalating U.S.-China trade spat. The greenback was a shade higher at 106.845 yen, having pulled higher from a low of 105.990 set the previous day.  Against the Swiss currency, another perceived safe haven along with the yen, the dollar was little changed at 0.9601 franc after rising 0.2 percent overnight. The Australian dollar extended the previous day’s gain, when it was lifted by better-than-expected domestic retail sales data, to reach a nine-day high of $0.7726.

In Commodities Markets oil prices rose on Thursday, holding onto a late-session rally the previous day, buoyed by the U.S. government data showing a surprise drawdown in crude stockpiles. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for May delivery was up 19 cents, or 0.3 percent, at $63.56 a barrel after settling down 14 cents. Front-month London Brent crude for June delivery was up 20 cents, or 0.3 percent, at $68.22, having ended down 10 cents. Before the rebound late on Wednesday, after the release of the Energy Information Administration (EIA) inventory data, WTI and Brent had hit two-week lows after China proposed a broad range of tariffs on U.S. exports, feeding fears of a trade war.

In US Equity Markets the three major indexes staged a comeback to close around 1 percent higher on Wednesday as investors turned their focus to earnings and away from a trade conflict between the United States and China that wreaked havoc in earlier trading. The S&P 500 gained 1.16 percent, to 2,644.69 and the Nasdaq Composite added 1.45 percent, to 7,042.11. Farm machinery company Deere & Co ended down 2.9 percent at $148.57 as it could be hurt by China tariffs if its customers’ exports are curbed. After being a laggard for much of the session, the S&P 500’s industrials sector turned positive late in the day to close 0.4 percent higher.

In Bond Markets Japanese government bond prices fell across the board on Thursday as stocks recovered from the latest round of trade war concerns and curbed demand for safe-haven debt. The five-year JGB yield rose 1 basis point to minus 0.110 percent. The benchmark 10-year yield climbed 1 basis point to 0.035 percent and the 30-year yield was up 0.5 basis point at 0.715 percent, nudged away from a 16-month low of 0.710 percent plumbed in the previous session.