In Asian Equity Markets Japanese stocks climbed on Thursday, tracking cues from an overnight Wall Street rally after the U.S. Federal Reserve unveiled plans to trim bond purchases, while investors shifted focus to Toyota Motor outlook due later in the day. The Nikkei share average was up 0.8 percent at 29,763.92, while the broader Topix also climbed 0.82 percent to 2,048.38. The CSI300 index rose 0.9 percent to 4,863.67 points at the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.6 percent to 3,521.07 points. The Hang Seng index added 0.3 percent to 25,092.23 points.

In Currency Markets the dollar halted its slide on Thursday after losing ground the day before when the U.S. Federal Reserve said it would not rush to raise interest rates, while the pound was on edge ahead of a closely watched Bank of England meeting. Sterling, which had initially led the gains on the dollar after the Fed was last at $1.3660, down from its week high of $1.3698 hit in early Asian hours Thursday. The euro gave up some of its gains and stood at $1.15932. Elsewhere, the yen stayed soft, with one dollar at 114.14 yen within a good leap of the dollar’s multiyear high of 114.69 yen hit last month.

In US Equity Markets stocks rose on Wednesday as the Federal Reserve said it will begin trimming its monthly bond purchases in November with plans to end them in 2022, an announcement that investors had been expecting. The Dow rose 0.29 percent, to 36,157.58, the S&P 500 gained 0.65 percent, to 4,660.57 and the Nasdaq Composite added 1.04 percent, to 15,811.58. Activision Blizzard Inc shares lost 14.1 percent after the videogame publisher delayed the launch of two much-awaited titles. Lyft shares rose 8.2 percent after the ride-hailing company reported an adjusted profit for the third quarter.

In Commodities Markets oil prices fell to a near four-week low on Wednesday, after U.S. crude stocks rose more than expected, as gasoline inventories in the world’s largest oil consumer hit a four-year low. Brent crude futures fell 3.2 percent, to settle at $81.99 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 3.6 percent, to settle at $80.86. Spot gold was down 0.9 percent at $1,770.61 per ounce. U.S. gold futures settled down 1.4 percent at $1,763.9. Silver fell 0.4 percent to $23.43 per ounce, platinum slid 0.7 percent to $1,030.94 and palladium shed 0.6 percent to $1,999.77.

In European Equity Markets stocks finished at a record high on Wednesday following a strong batch of quarterly earnings, while heavyweight mining stocks recovered from recent losses as commodity prices rose. The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.4 percent to 481.22 points, with basic resources stocks leading gains. German software firm TeamViewer rose 11.0 percent after it confirmed its preliminary third-quarter results and annual outlook. Lufthansa rose 7.0 percent after the airline posted a return to profit for the first time since the coronavirus crisis, boosted by the easing of travel restrictions.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields rose and the curve steepened on Wednesday after the Fed, as expected, said it would commence tapering asset purchases this month, but stuck with its contention that high inflation would be transitory and not likely to lead to a faster rise in interest rates. The benchmark 10-year yield climbed to a session high of 1.602 percent. It was last up 4.2 basis points at 1.5893 percent. The two-year yield was last less than a basis point higher at 0.458 percent. The five-year yield was last 2.4 basis points higher at 1.1735 percent.