In European Equity Markets stocks closed mixed Wednesday, with investor sentiment dampened by sharp falls in the technology sector. The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed 0.25 percent higher provisionally, with most major bourses finishing in positive territory and sectors pointing in different directions. Technology stocks were down almost 2 percent. Investors rotated out of the sector, following an uproar over the alleged misuse of Facebook users’ data by political consultants Cambridge Analytica. Electronic chip maker Austria Microsystems fell to the bottom of the European benchmark, off more than 9 percent.

In Currency Markets the US dollar rose to a six-day high against a basket of major currencies on Wednesday, rebounding further from a five-week low touched the prior session, supported by quarter-end flows into the greenback as investors also shook off fears of a trade war. The dollar rose 0.81 percent against the Japanese yen and 0.85 percent against the Swiss franc, viewed as safe-haven currencies in times of market turbulence. The euro slipped 0.44 percent against the dollar, but was on track for a fifth straight quarterly gain, the longest such streak since 2008. The Canadian dollar was slightly weaker against the greenback ahead of Canadian economic data on Thursday.

In Commodities Markets oil prices fell about 1 percent on Wednesday after data from the Energy Information Administration showed a surprise build in U.S. crude stockpiles. U.S. crude inventories rose 1.6 million barrels last week, compared with analysts’ expectations for a decrease of 287,000 barrels, as net imports jumped by 1.1 million barrels per day, the EIA said. June Brent crude futures were down 72 cents at $68.74 barrel, while the May contract, which expires on Thursday, fell 59 cents to $69.52 a barrel, a 0.8 percent loss. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for May delivery fell 91 cents to $64.34 a barrel, a 1.4 percent loss.

In US Equity Markets the Nasdaq Composite index was sharply lower on Wednesday, dragged down by losses in Amazon and tech heavyweights such as Apple and Intel. Amazon fell more than 5 percent after reports that President Donald Trump was looking to target the company by changing its tax treatment. Apple fell about 1 percent after Goldman Sachs analyst cut sales estimate for iPhone for March and June quarters, citing weak demand. Intel was down 3.7 percent and weighed the most on the S&P tech index.  The S&P 500 was flat on the day while Nasdaq Composite was down 39.67 points, or 0.57 percent.

In Bond Markets Germany’s benchmark 10-year government bond yield fell below 0.50 percent on Wednesday for the first time since early January as investors, increasingly fearful of a U.S.-China trade war, flocked to safe-haven assets. Germany’s 10-year Bund yield fell as low as 0.473 percent in early trade before inching back up to 0.498 percent. Most euro zone bond yields were down by as much as 2 basis points on the day. Italy’s 10-year bond yield fell to its lowest level in more than three months at 1.84 percent, down 3 basis point on the day. Italy sold 5.5 billion euros in an auction of bonds maturing in 2023 and 2028, fulfilling its target of 4.5-5.5 billion euros.