In Asian Equity Markets the Nikkei 225 added 0.79 percent, with machinery stocks leading the gains. Automakers pared losses through the session, with Toyota last higher by 0.32 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index edged up by 0.03 percent. On the mainland, the Shanghai composite drifted 0.06 percent higher. Australian stocks advanced more convincingly, with the S&P/ASX 200 tacking on 1.13 percent amid broad-based gains. Meanwhile, the Kospi, South Korea’s benchmark share average, slipped 0.3 percent as declines in financials weighed on the index.

In Currency Markets the US dollar hovered near an 11-month high against a basket of currencies on Thursday, supported by a rise in U.S. yields, while the pound struggled at its lowest level since November 2017 ahead of Bank of England’s monetary policy decision. The euro was a shade higher at $1.1577 having a lost 0.15 percent the previous day. The pound stood little changed at $1.3173 after slipping overnight to a seven-month low of $1.3145. The Australian and New Zealand dollars were flat at $0.7370 and $0.6864, respectively.

In Commodities Markets oil prices fell on Thursday as Iran signaled it could be won over to a small rise in OPEC crude output, potentially paving the way for the producer cartel to agree a supply increase during a meeting on Friday. Brent crude futures were at $74.51 per barrel, down 23 cents, or 0.3 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $65.64 a barrel, down 7 cents, or 0.1 percent. In a sign of robust demand, U.S. refineries processed a seasonal record of 17.7 million bpd of crude oil last week.

In US Equity Markets the Nasdaq touched a record on Wednesday, lifted by a climb in large-cap tech and consumer discretionary names, while the Dow and S&P 500 were hemmed in as concerns over an escalation in the U.S.-China trade spat simmered. Twenty-First Century Fox Inc climbed 7.8 percent after Walt Disney Co, up 0.7 percent, sweetened its offer for some of the company’s assets to $71.3 billion, looking to topple Comcast Corp’s bid, up 2.2 percent. The S&P 500 gained 0.31 percent, to 2,771.28 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.96 percent, to 7,799.67.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields on Wednesday rebounded from sharp falls in the previous session, as expectations of further U.S. interest rate increases diverted the market’s attention from Washington’s trade conflict with China. U.S. benchmark 10-year yields rose to 2.927 percent, from Tuesday’s 2.893 percent. U.S. 30-year yields were up at 3.063 percent, compared with 3.028 percent on Tuesday. U.S. two-year yields were at 2.561 percent, slightly up from Tuesday’s 2.545 percent.