In Asian Equity Markets indices were mixed in Wednesday morning trade, as investors await the start of U.S.-China trade talks later in the day stateside. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.55 percent in morning trade. South Korea’s Kospi traded lower slightly higher as shares of LG Display dropping more than 3.6 percent after the company said its panel shipments for the first quarter were expected to decrease by a high single digit percentage due to seasonally weak demand. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index shed 0.34 percent with shares of Chinese tech giant Tencent declining 0.82 percent.

In Currency Markets the pound tried to find its footing on Wednesday after sliding on fresh concerns about the possibility of a “no-deal” Brexit, while the dollar eased ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy decision.Sterling staggered up 0.2 percent to $1.3091 after suffering a loss of 0.7 percent overnight as lawmakers rejected a proposal to give parliament a path to prevent a potentially chaotic hard exit. Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29. Last week, the pound hit $1.3218, its highest since mid-October, on hopes that London might avoid a no-deal departure from the European Union.

In Commodities Markets oil prices rose on Wednesday as concerns about supply disruptions following U.S. sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry outweighed downward pressure from a darkening outlook for the global economy. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $53.43 per barrel, 12 cents, or 0.2 percent, above their last settlement.International Brent crude oil futures rose 17 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $61.49 per barrel. The gains followed a 2-percent price jump in the previous session, when markets first digested the U.S. sanctions on Venezuela’s oil exports.

In US Equity Markets indices were mixed on Tuesday, with Alphabet, Facebook and other technology-related shares fell, while a rebound in 3M and other industrials elevated the Dow. The S&P 500 lost 0.15 percent to 2,640, dragged down by technology and communications stocks. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.81 percent to 7,028.29. Apple Inc jumped 4 percent in extended trade after the iPhone maker posted quarterly results following its warning earlier this month that revenue would be less than previously expected due to softness in China, whose economy has been damaged by a trade war with the United States.

In Bond Markets the price of seven-year Treasury notes jumped on Tuesday after strong demand at auction for $32 billion of new issues, with yields down across maturities ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy statement on Wednesday. The U.S. Treasury Department auctioned seven-year government notes at a yield of 2.625 percent, the lowest at an auction of this debt maturity since January 2018. The benchmark 10-year yield was down 3.2 basis points, last at 2.71 percent. The two-year yield was down 2 basis points, last at 2.57 percent.