In European Equity Markets the pan-European Stoxx 600 ended up by 1.03 percent with every sector in the black. Banks, retail and construction firms were among the top performers. The FTSE 100 ended up by 1 percent, Germany’s DAX by 0.8 percent, France’s CAC by 1.1 percent, and Spain’s IBEX by 2.1 percent. Retail stocks traded higher on the back of earnings news. Delivery Hero rose more than 4 percent on strong third-quarter results. The German sportswear retailer, Adidas fell 3.6 percent, despite raising its profit guidance for the year.

In Currency Markets the U.S. dollar edged lower on Wednesday, with some investors tiptoeing back into riskier assets after midterm elections split power in the U.S. Congress, giving Democrats greater ability to check any major initiatives from President Donald Trump. Some analysts had said a fully Republican Congress could have meant increased trade tension and a larger deficit. The euro gained half a percent to trade at $1.148. Sterling rose 0.38 percent, last at $1.316 buoyed by a BBC report that Britain is preparing for a Brexit agreement by the end of November.

In Commodities Markets gold came off a one-week low to trade higher on Wednesday as investors sought cover from market volatility and uncertainty surrounding the fallout of U.S. mid-term elections results. Spot gold was up 0.3 percent at $1,230.26 per ounce, having touched its lowest since Nov. 1 at $1,222.90 earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures climbed 0.5 percent to $1,232.2 per ounce. Among other precious metals, silver rose 0.4 percent to $14.59 per ounce, while palladium was down 0.2 percent at $1,114.25 per ounce.

In US Equity Markets stocks jumped on Wednesday, as investors piled into growth sectors such as technology and healthcare on relief that the outcome of the U.S. midterm elections was as expected. The technology and healthcare sectors rose more than 1.5 percent each, with investors betting that a gridlocked Congress would not be able to push through restrictive regulations, a fear that has weighed on the growth sectors. The S&P 500 was up 0.77 percent, at 2,776.75 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 1.19 percent, at 7,463.46.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields fell on Wednesday as elections for federal lawmakers split control of the U.S. Congress between the two major political parties, leaving investors to assess its impact on government spending and borrowing in the coming year. As expected, the Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives, while Republicans increased their majority in the Senate. Benchmark 10-year Treasury yield was down over 2 basis points at 3.189 percent.