In European Equity Markets indices closed higher on Thursday as investors monitored developments in the U.S.-China trade war and digested comments from central bank officials. Luxembourg-based Eurofins Scientific jumped more than 5% after the biopharma testing firm reported better-than-expected first-half results and suffered only a mild loss from a recent cyberattack. At the other end of the Stoxx 600, French industrial giant Bouygues gained 6.75% after the firm reported a jump in profits and better-than-expected first-half results.

In Currency Markets the U.S. dollar was modestly higher on Thursday as news Washington and Beijing were discussing negotiations in September eased anxieties about the ongoing trade war. Against the greenback, the yen was 0.31% weaker to 106.44, but was on track for a more than 2% rise against the dollar for the month of August. Sterling remained in the spotlight after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to suspend parliament raised the odds of a no-deal Brexit. The British currency edged 0.16% lower to $1.2189, approaching a January 2017 low below $1.2015.

In Commodities Markets brent oil held above $60 a barrel on Thursday, withstanding pressure from concerns about economic growth, while a sharp fall in U.S. inventories boosted West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures. International benchmark Brent crude was up 2 cents at $60.51 a barrel. WTI was up 48 cents at $56.26 a barrel. The U.S. government’s Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday that American crude stocks fell last week by 10 million barrels, while gasoline and distillate stocks each fell by 2.1 million barrels.

In US Equity Markets a rise in technology stocks lifted Wall Street on Thursday, as China sounded hopeful of a resolution to the protracted trade dispute with the United States, easing investor fears of the risk of a recession. The S&P 500 was up 1.09%, at 2,919.36. The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.41%, at 7,967.56. Chipmakers which draw a large part of their revenue from China also gained, with the Philadelphia chip index up 2.5%. Among the few losers were defensive utilities and consumer staples sectors.

In Bond Markets Italian and Greek bond yields hit record lows on Thursday after Italy’s president gave Giuseppe Conte the green light to head a new coalition government, fuelling demand for risk assets. Italy’s 10-year bond yield fell almost 10 basis points to a record low of 0.93%, before pulling back slightly to 0.96%. Even longer-dated Italian bond yields fell sharply with the 50-year yield hitting a record low of 2.148%. Another barometer of risk appetite, the Greek 10-year yield also hit a record low, at 1.54%.