In Asian Equity Markets indices advanced on Friday, following a strong lead in from Wall Street and positive news on the U.S.-China trade front. The Nikkei 225 rose by 0.37 percent. Most major sectors in Japan rose during early hours trade, with the precision machinery sector leading the way with a 1.27 percent move up. The Hang Seng Index traded 0.83 percent up with the major financials advancing. Also in focus was Tencent, which had seen its shares slide earlier in the week following a string of negative news. The Chinese tech giant’s stock was up 3.44 percent in morning trade.

In Currency Markets the US dollar was little changed against other major currencies on Friday after nudging away from 13-1/2-month highs amid easing risk aversion and as investors awaited the next developments in the U.S.-China trade saga. The Australian dollar edged down 0.1 percent to $0.7255 after Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Philip Lowe said on Friday that interest rates will stay at record lows “for a while yet” as inflation remains lukewarm and there is still spare capacity in the labor market.

In Commodities Markets oil prices fell on Friday, with U.S. crude heading for a seventh weekly decline amid increasing concerns about slowing global economic growth that could hit demand for petroleum products as inventories build. Brent crude oil futures were down 3 cents at $71.40 a barrel by 00229 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 1 cent to $65.45 a barrel. Brent is heading for a 2 percent decline this week, a third consecutive weekly fall. WTI is on track for a seventh week of losses, with a fall of more than 3 percent.

In US Equity Markets stocks bounced back on Thursday, with the Dow setting a course for its best day in over four months, as a series of positive earnings and waning trade jitters girded investor confidence. The S&P 500 gained 0.95 percent, to 2,845.22 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.67 percent, to 7,826.58. Cisco Systems Inc stock was up 3.8 percent after beating Wall Street revenue and profit targets, giving a boost the broader tech sector. All 11 major sectors of the S&P 500 were in positive territory. The S&P 500 industrial sector advanced 1.2 percent.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields rose on Thursday after reports of new trade talks between the United States and China boosted risk appetite and reduced demand for safe-haven bonds. Benchmark 10-year notes fell 7/32 in price to yield 2.877 percent, up from 2.851 percent on Wednesday. The yield curve between 2-year and 10-year notes steepened to 25 basis points, from 23 basis points on Wednesday, the flattest level since 2007.