In European Equity Markets the pan-European STOXX 600 closed around the flat-line, with the majority of sectors closing flat or higher. Most peripheral markets finished in the black. Europe’s autos stocks were the worst performers Wednesday, down 3.47 percent. Shares of Schaeffler, Michelin and Faurecia were all trading lower Wednesday, after Germany’s Continental issued a profit warning and dragged other auto supplier stocks into negative territory. Continental was trading 13.68 percent lower.

In Currency Markets the U.S. dollar continued its slide on Wednesday as political pressure on President Donald Trump increased, and the euro hit a two-week high as investors rushed to cover short positions. The euro gained 0.16 percent to $1.159, close to the two-week high of $1.162 touched earlier in the session. Minutes of the Fed’s last meeting, due later on Wednesday, were expected to confirm it is on course to raise rates twice more this year. The dollar moved sideways against the Japanese yen at 110.44 yen. It had weakened to 109.76 overnight, its lowest since late June.

In Commodities Markets oil prices rose 2 percent on Wednesday, with Brent crude futures hitting a two-week high, after data showed a larger-than-expected draw in U.S. crude inventories due to strong refiner demand and as U.S. sanctions on Iran signaled tightening supplies. Brent crude futures rose $1.48, or 2 percent, to $74.11 a barrel. The global benchmark reached $74.48 during the session, the highest since Aug. 8. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose $1.49 to $67.33 a barrel, a 2.3 percent gain.

In US Equity Markets the S&P 500 marked its longest bull-market run with a dip on Wednesday as President Donald Trump’s political position was threatened by the legal woes of two former advisers and ahead of trade talks and the Federal Reserve’s minutes. The S&P 500 was down 0.15 percent, at 2,858.66 and the Nasdaq Composite was flat. Nine of the 11 major S&P sectors fell, with the trade-sensitive industrial sector down 0.71 percent. Urban Outfitters rose 7.3 percent and furniture maker La-Z-Boy jumped 12.4 percent after their results topped Wall Street estimates.

In Bond Markets the gap between German and U.S. 10-year borrowing costs was close to its tightest level in two months on Wednesday, as the euro zone economy and inflation showed signs of improvement. German 10-year government bond yields rose two basis point to 0.35 percent on Wednesday, hitting a 10-day high and moving further away from recent lows of 0.287 percent. Other euro zone bond yields were also up across both the core and periphery as trading wound down on Wednesday.