In Asian Equity Markets indices fell Wednesday morning. Mainland Chinese stocks declined in early trade, with the Shanghai composite down 0.49% and the Shenzhen component shedding 0.48%. The Shenzhen composite also fell 0.27%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 1.36% in early trade as shares of life insurer AIA fell 2.49%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 declined 0.82% in morning trade as shares of index heavyweight Fast Retailing fell 1.91%. Shares of Japanese automaker Nissan recovered partially from an earlier decline of 4% but still traded more than 1% lower. The moves came after the company posted a roughly 70% year-on-year decline in operating income for the second quarter.

In Currency Markets the New Zealand dollar jumped 1% on Wednesday after the country’s central bank unexpectedly left interest rates on hold, while most other currencies trod water. Almost all analysts had forecast a cut in the 1% benchmark rate to a record-low 0.75%, with futures markets having priced in a better-than-75% chance of a cut as slack spending and a global slowdown held New Zealand’s economic growth at a six-year low. The New Zealand dollar zoomed almost a cent higher to $0.6403 after the decision was announced, putting it on track for its steepest daily gain in a year.

In Commodities Markets oil prices dipped on Wednesday as prospects for a trade deal between the United States and China dimmed, weighing on the outlook for the global economy and energy demand. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the two countries were close to finalizing a trade deal, but he fell short of providing a date or venue for the signing ceremony, disappointing investors. Brent crude futures edged down 18 cents, or 0.3%, to $61.88 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $56.67, down 13 cents or 0.2%. A forecast by the International Energy Agency for slower global oil demand growth post-2025 also weighed on the market.

In US Equity Markets the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes edged slightly higher after earlier hitting record peaks on Tuesday while the Dow dipped slightly as President Donald Trump said the United States is close to signing an initial trade deal with China but offered no new details about negotiations.The S&P 500 gained 0.08%, to 3,089.55 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.12%, to 8,474.81. Most S&P 500 sectors were in positive territory, with healthcare gaining the most. Energy lagged the most, falling 0.9%. CBS Corp fell 3.3% after the media company missed quarterly revenue estimates. Shares of Viacom Inc, which is merging with CBS, were also down 3.6%

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields held below three-month highs on Thursday after President Donald Trump reiterated that the United States is close to signing a trade deal with China, and before consumer price inflation data on Wednesday.Trump on Tuesday said that the two countries are close to a deal that would end the trade war that has damaged global growth, but added that if a deal is not made, the United States will raise tariffs on Chinese imports. Benchmark 10-year notes gained 3/32 in price to yield 1.923%. The yields rose to 1.973% on Thursday on optimism a trade deal would be reached, which was the highest since August 1.